Mumbai: A day after the monsoon’s arrival exposed the city’s vulnerability to tree falls and as many as 113 incidents of tree/ branch collapse were reported, including one in which a car was reduced to a heap of rubble, corporators across party lines on Thursday demanded that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) make tree trimming free of charge for citizens and take greater responsibility for maintaining trees across the city .On Wednesday, a large tree collapsed on car near Pritam Da Dhaba in Dadar East amid heavy rains. (HT Photo)The issue dominated discussions in the civic body’s general body meeting, with elected representatives questioning the administration’s accountability in light of recent tree- branch collapse incidents.Raising the matter under the notice of section 66 (B) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, Goregaon corporator Ankit Prabhu referred to the May 10 tree-fall incident on Linking Road in Khar, where his neighbour, 15-year-old Aarika Shrivastava, died while another person was injured.Prabhu said the tragedy highlighted the need for stronger preventive measures and a more proactive approach towards tree maintenance.“We cannot wait for accidents to happen before taking action. The civic body must ensure proper upkeep of trees and prevent such incidents,” the Goregaon corporator said.Supporting the demand, Hetal Gala, chairperson of the BMC’s market and garden committee, argued that citizens should not be required to bear the cost of tree trimming and the BMC should appoint and pay contractors to undertake regular maintenance.“Why should ordinary citizens pay for tree trimming? Their upkeep should be the civic body’s responsibility,” Gala said.She also questioned the effectiveness of the BMC’s response after tree-fall incidents.“Every time a tree falls, an FIR is registered. But what action has actually been taken in the last 10 years after these FIRs? The administration must answer this,” she said.Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi blamed rampant concretisation around tree trunks for weakening the trees, particularly in the western suburbs. Nearly 70% of reported tree falls occur in the western suburbs, while the remaining incidents are spread across the island city and eastern suburbs, he said.“During road and footpath works, tree bases are often concretised, restricting root growth and weakening the trees over time. This is one of the major reasons for tree collapses,” Azmi said.Corporator Pramod Sawant recounted a recent inspection when he found a coconut tree leaning nearly four feet from its original position; the tree was removed later.“Is it the corporator’s responsibility to identify every dangerous tree in the city? The civic administration should have a robust inspection mechanism in place,” Sawant said.Corporator Pravin Chheda pointed out that residents currently paid ₹900-4,000 for tree trimming. Recollecting a tree fall incident from his ward which had left a woman permanently disabled, he said, “But the civic body did not even bother to lodge an FIR.”Leader of the house Ganesh Khankar said the BMC must be accountable for every tree in the city. “If a developer does not restore the original tree cover, the occupation certificate (for the building) should be withheld,” he said.Responding to the concerns, additional municipal commissioner (city) Prajakta Verma said action had been initiated in the May 10 Khar tree-fall case. A stop-work notice had been issued and a criminal case registered against the developer, she informed the house.Developers would be held responsible for maintaining affected trees and the BMC would issue appropriate notices and enforce conditions laid down in regulations, Verma said.On compensation for tree fall incidents, Verma said current provisions mandate ₹1 lakh in case of deaths caused by tree fall, and ₹50,000 in cases of permanent disability.The compensation payable in the Khar incident was under consideration, she said.