Tragedy averted after forest, SDRF teams cut off broken branch

SHILLONG: A major tragedy was averted on Friday when the emergency services of the district was alerted about a broken branch of a tall pine tree near Shillong Civil Hospital that was hanging precariously and held only by its sinews and splinters.
According to an official statement here, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team which was activated by the Distract Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) rushed to the spot and ensured safety in the area.
The team of 10 SDRF personnel led by inspector Willy Nonglang cordoned off the site and assisted the forest personnel to safely cut off the branch which posed a threat to vehicular traffic and passersby who frequented the stretch of the road opposite Civil Hospital.
Earlier in the day, a branch of the tree fell on the road which was removed later.
It was only after getting nod from High Court of Meghalaya on Friday night that the tree was cut off since the Court had earlier banned tree felling.
Last month, three persons were killed when a massive tree fell near Raj Bhavan. Thereafter, the forest department had identified as many as 500 weak trees in the city which were to be either cut or trimmed.
However, with rampant cutting of trees, a PIL was filed by a city-based lawyer, Kaustav Paul, prompting the High Court to direct the government to stop further felling of trees in the city.
The High Court however had also directed the inspection team to visit the spot and take action as per requirement.
The process of cordoning off the road near Civil Hospital started at 6 pm and the area was cleared at 11 pm. The SDRF team was on standby for the entire night in case of any eventuality while the branch was being cut.
Meanwhile, traffic in several parts of the city was affected with vehicles diverted to other routes as a preventive measure after the dangling branch was noticed perilously close to power lines near the hospital. Power supply too was snapped soon after the alert was sounded. Apparently, there was panic among people in the area that caused chaos.
An official from the district administration informed that the branch of the tree was too weak and could have fallen anytime.
The official said the traffic was diverted to avoid mishaps since the tree was very long and it was very difficult to anticipate whether the branch of the tree would fall and on which side.
Magistrates, forest personnel and other line departments had also camped in the area soon after the tree branch was noticed.