Bangalore Club's majestic pine tree crashes onto road, snarls traffic

A massive pine tree located at the Bangalore Club on Residency Road fell on the road on Monday evening and briefly disrupted traffic.

Officials from the Ashok Nagar traffic police station swung into action around 4.50 pm and removed the tree. Police noted that termites had hollowed the tree’s core, causing it to topple. Peak-hour traffic was halted on Mission Road and Kengal Hanumanthaiah Road for nearly 20 minutes. Traffic police and volunteers pushed the fallen tree to the side using an earthmover and allowed traffic to resume.

A traffic inspector with the Ashok Nagar police station noted that the situation would have been far more dangerous had the traffic been moving normally on the road.

“Our constable, Arun, kept clearing traffic manually in such a way that when the tree fell, no vehicles were caught under it. His presence of mind and proactive nature helped prevent a major disaster and saved many lives,” he said.

Sai Eshwar, who works in an office nearby, suffered injuries to his head and legs when the edges of the toppling tree grazed him. Eshwar was taken to Bowring Hospital for treatment.

The falling tree once again triggered debate over axing heritage trees in the city.

“Old trees, especially those on the sides of the road, need to be checked by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and axed if it is learnt that they can pose a threat to people's safety,” the inspector said. BBMP officials visited the spot around 7 pm to saw and tow away pieces of the tree.

Wing Commander Lodh, secretary of Bangalore Club, applauded the timely action by the police although he was saddened by the tree’s fall.

"About a fortnight ago, the BBMP had visited us for a regular audit of all our trees and were awaiting permission from the forest department to prune the trees. We have also pruned and cleaned up dry branches and twigs from about 50 per cent of our trees. We are not sure why or how this happened, but we are glad nobody is seriously affected," he said.