BMP picks up the axe

Thursday night's rain of just one hour brought down over 300 trees in the city damaging vehicles, roads, houses and disrupting traffic. That gives a glimpse of what a full-fledged monsoon might have in store. The BMP has promptly announced that it will fell over 500 "diseased" trees across the city and prune several others. Meanwhile A L Koppar of the city's met office has decided to turn an expert in botany and recommended to the BMP that all trees with canopies must be chopped and replaced with short bushy trees. The problem lies with the improper selection of trees and location where they are planted. To compound that, trees with canopies are always trimmed such that one half of the canopy is removed along a vertical plane either by the BESCOM or by an upcoming construction on which side that half falls. Consequently the centre of gravity of the trees get unsettled and becomes liable to fall at the slightest wind.