Subhash Mahajan
Chamba: A potentially tragic accident was narrowly avoided on the Chamba-Tissa road near Sarol in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh afternoon when a dry tree came crashing down onto a parked car, completely mangling the vehicle.
The car’s owner, Pawan Kumar, a resident of Sarol, was not inside at the time of the incident.
The impact of the falling tree not only destroyed the vehicle but also snapped nearby power lines, plunging the entire Sarol panchayat into darkness for nearly an hour. Power supply was restored after electricity board personnel reached the spot and carried out emergency repairs.
Recurring threats from aging trees
The incident has reignited public concern about the numerous dry and aging trees lining the Chamba-Tissa road, which residents say are accidents waiting to happen.
A woman and her daughter died at Manikaran in Kullu after an uprooted tree hit them a few days ago. Four students from Hisar in Haryana and two other tourists were killed in a similar incident near the Manikaran gurdwara recently.
According to locals, including Parmesh Kumar, Nishant Kalia, Vijay, Nekraj, Sahil Bedi, Pankaj, Ishu, Roshan and Ishant Kalia, multiple complaints have been submitted to the Chamba Public Works Department (PWD) urging it to remove the dangerous trees but to no avail.
Residents shared that just two days prior, a large branch had fallen in the middle of the road, though there was no traffic at the time. The latest incident occurred following strong afternoon winds, which caused the tree to collapse.
Official Response and Future Action
Dinesh Kumar, Executive Engineer of the PWD, said marking of hazardous trees had already been completed and the tree-cutting process would begin as soon as clearance was received from the Forest Department.
Local residents are now urging both the administration and relevant departments to expedite this process before a more serious incident occurs. “We’ve been lucky so far, but luck shouldn’t be the only thing keeping us safe,” a resident remarked.
