Thane orders survey of dangerous trees after Mumbai school bus tragedy

Thane Mayor Sharmila Pimpalolkar has ordered a safety survey of dangerous trees across the city in the wake of the death of a student after a tree collapsed on a school bus in Mumbai during heavy rains. Pimpalolkar convened an urgent meeting of the Thane Municipal Corporation's Tree Authority Department on Wednesday and directed officials to conduct inspections of trees inside schools, colleges, housing societies, hospitals, and along major traffic junctions.

She also mandated a re-survey of previously pruned trees to re-verify their structural stability. "Dangerous, dried or bent trees as well as large branches should be identified immediately and necessary action should be taken," the mayor instructed, emphasising the need for inter-departmental coordination to preemptively mitigate risks.

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She also ordered the immediate clearance of branches left on roadsides post-pruning to avoid traffic obstructions during the monsoon. People have been urged to report hazardous trees to the Thane Municipal Corporation immediately.

On Tuesday, an 11-year-old boy died and four others were injured when a peepal tree uprooted and collapsed on their moving school bus that was ferrying 13 students in Mumbai's Chembur area. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the uprooted peepal tree was estimated to be 60 to 70 years old and no official public complaint regarding its condition had been received earlier.

In a similar scare, a family had a miraculous escape after a massive tree collapsed in a Post Office lane at Vashi in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday night, officials said. Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dr Kailas B Shinde directed civic teams to clear the debris immediately. Local residents and environmentalists have requested a thorough tree health audit to identify internally decayed trees before they fall.