PANJIM: In a tragic incident, a 19-year-old girl from Betim was killed when a tree fell on her near the municipal garden in the city on Sunday.
The deceased identified as Arti Gond, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was residing at Betim. The incident occurred when she was crossing the road at around 11 am. The impact was such that Arti sustained serious head injuries.
The locals immediately contacted the Fire and Emergency Services (FES) and police and shifted Arti to Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Bambolim, where she succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment.
S M Pednekar, Sub Officer, Fire and Emergency Services (FES), Headquarters, Panjim, said, “We received the call at around 11.20 am and rushed to the spot. When we reached the spot, we saw that the girl had sustained head injuries and was bleeding.”
“Arti’s body has been preserved for a post-mortem which will be conducted on Monday. A case of unnatural death under Section 194 BNSS has been registered,” Panjim PI Vijaykumar Chodankar told O Heraldo.
It is pertinent to note that this is the third incident of a tree falling reported in the area. Earlier, some people had a miraculous escape in tree crash incidents reported on Thursday and Friday.
Concerned citizens have pointed to three trees that are most likely to collapse and pose danger to life and property. The trees identified are near Caculo Circle, behind Pharmacy College and near the multi-level parking lot, near the Patto bridge.
Speaking to O Heraldo, Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) Mayor said, “Our team has been working day and night for the past many days but as it is raining incessantly it is becoming difficult to carry out the work. We have asked the Forest Department to send their personnel to check all the trees which are old. There are too many trees. Our tree cutters are working all day. Our teams have been pruning trees continuously. The problem is that there is hardly any space for the trees to grow and the soil too has become loose due to heavy rains. This has made the trees weak. There are so many heritage trees in the city. It is difficult to identify which tree has turned weak. Sometimes it takes an entire day to prune one tree. There are many requests to prune the trees and we are attending to them one by one.”
Panjim MLA seeks report from Forest Dept on dangerous trees
Following the tragic death of a young girl on Sunday due to a tree collapse, Panjim MLA Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate asked the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) Commissioner to request a report from the Forest Department on dangerous trees in the capital.
