The giant tree has grown dangerously close to the building. In addition, the trenches to widen the road have been dug three sides around the bowing tree, adding to the fear of the residents of the nine houses in the quarters.
Requests in this regard to officers in the City Municipal Council have proven futile, complained the residents.
Work is on to construct new drainage lines on the right side of the Robertsonpet-Swarnanagar Road in order to widen the road. The old drains on another side of the tree, however, remain open. On a third side of the tree, a trench has been dug for a water pipeline.
The roots of the tree, therefore, have little soil to stand on and support the gigantic tree.
The peepal already bends a little to the east, over the police quarters. The residents fear that strong winds or heavy rain would be enough to uproot the tree, which will then fall right on top of their houses.
The buildings of the quarters too are not strong enough to withstand the fall of the peepal over them. The quarters age more than a 100 years, built for the British security guards, and are already quite frail.
The situation proves ironic, that police, who are deputed to safeguard others’ lives and property, find their own and their family members’ lives in danger.
