]Francis Ekka & Girish
Port Blair, July 8: A massive tree branch crashed at Phongy Kaung area, Phoenix Bay on Friday. The mishap occurred during the squally winds today morning when the huge tree branch collapsed causing extensive damage to a house in the area.
According to the house owners, several written requests were made to the District Administration in the past about the tree standing dangerously near their residence.
However, the District Administration never accorded written permission to bring down the tree which apparently led to the mishap today, according to the house owner.
Though fire fighters rushed to the spot with equipments to clear the debris but it took the fire fighters several hours to decide how to cut down the tree branch and clear the debris from the spot.
Holding the District Administration responsible for the mishap, the area’s Municipal Councillor, Mr Azizur Rehman maintained that the huge tree was standing dangerously at the location for the past several years and required immediate action to chop down.
“The District Administration should constitute a special team to identify dangerous trees in the city and take timely action to prevent such accidents,” he said.
