Tree fall incidents in Bengaluru double this year, cross 1,000 mark: Report
Bengaluru: Tree fall incidents in Bengaluru have doubled compared to last year, crossing the 1,000 mark during this year’s southwest monsoon season, according to data from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
GBA data, cited by The Hindu, shows that between May and September 2025, 1,222 trees were uprooted and 2,585 incidents of branch snapping were recorded. In comparison, the city reported 531 uprooted trees and 2,010 snapped branches between April and August 2024, with no incidents recorded in September 2024.
Tragically, three people lost their lives and six others were injured this year in accidents caused by falling trees or branches. In separate incidents, the victims, all scooter riders, were fatally struck by falling branches, raising concerns about the safety of commuters and pedestrians in the capital city.
Rapid urbanisation, concretisation, and poor urban planning, have been reported as major causes behind the loss of green cover. However, the GBA’s Forest Wing and the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) cited historical negligence and severe understaffing as major contributing factors.
A GBA official said the forest wing’s manpower shortage has hampered effective tree management. The forest wing currently has nearly 20 officials, including office staff, to manage the entire city. “Tree management is carried out regularly, but covering the whole city with such critical understaffing is impossible,” The Hindu quoted the official as saying.
Similarly, A.N. Yellappa Reddy, former forest secretary and noted silviculturist, said urban tree management is a specialised task that requires trained personnel. However, he noted that the civic body provides no such training, highlighting its negligence.
“We must give equal attention to branch manipulation during root surgery (cutting roots for development works) to maintain the tree’s balance. After surgery, trees should be sprayed with anti-fungal agents, and care should be taken not to damage tissues. However, such practices are rarely followed,” The Hindu quoted Reddy as saying.
Experts say inadequate maintenance has left the city’s trees vulnerable to collapse, particularly during strong winds and heavy rain. Bengaluru’s wind speeds often range between 10 kmph and 40 kmph, occasionally reaching 50 kmph, conditions that can easily uproot weak or imbalanced trees.
They have reportedly urged the civic body to establish mechanisms for citizen participation in monitoring and preserving Bengaluru’s trees, arguing that the absence of public involvement and transparency has led to poor accountability and persistent negligence.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
