Six dead trees on the Rabindra Sarobar premises are being felled after some walkers complained that dead branches had fallen on them and could injure them in future.
The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has hired a contractor to chop the siris trees. There are 20 dead trees but the six that are most likely to fall during a storm are being cut, a CMDA official said.
Four of the six trees are along the stretch between AMRI memorial and Calcutta Cricket Coaching Centre and the other two are near Dhakuria and Lake Gardens.
The trunk of a dead tree Picture by Bishwarup Dutta
Metro on Saturday spotted a partially uprooted tree, slanted dangerously outside the eastern boundary of Safari Park.
The CMDA official said the agency had taken the forest department’s permission to fell the dead trees. “These trees died about a decade ago... or maybe more than that. Some walkers complained that their branches had fallen on people and could cause an accident. We spoke to some experts who advised to cut down the trees.”
Lac insects had attacked the trees. Several siris trees in the city died of such attacks, the official said.
The trunks of the infected trees turn white, starting from the base and spreading to the branches. The bark peels off and several tiny holes appear on the trunks.
A five-member expert committee had been formed about a decade ago when several trees were found dying because of lac insects to suggest remedies, another CMDA official said.
“Since chopping trees inside the Sarobar is a sensitive matter, we didn’t cut them down. But after receiving complaints from some walkers we decided to cut down six trees,” the official said.