Moodbidri: Due to heavy rain and strong winds on Friday evening, a huge tree fell across the state highway near Niddodi Daddu close to Moodbidri, causing major disruption in traffic movement.
Vehicle movement remained completely disturbed till Saturday evening, forcing the public to depend on alternative routes.
The impact of the fallen tree brought down six electric poles near the roadside and snapped power lines. As a result, hundreds of houses in Kudripadavu, Niddodi Daddi, Kallakumeru and surrounding areas have been without electricity since Friday night. People were forced to spend time in darkness due to the power outage.
Following the incident, the main road from Moodbidri to Kateel was closed. Police advised motorists to travel through Kammaje-Jalakadakatte-Niddodi Junction diversion route. However, as these roads are narrow, traffic congestion increased and passengers were stuck in traffic jams for several hours.
The incident badly affected local life. People from more than 50 houses reportedly could not attend their daily work on Saturday and had to take leave. Students, employees and business persons faced severe inconvenience.
MESCOM staff and Forest Department officials reached the spot on Saturday morning and started the tree removal operation. Officials said the work was delayed as heavy machinery was required to remove the massive tree. Work to restore electricity poles was also taken up, and officials said power restoration would take more time.
Public anger
Local residents expressed anger against MESCOM, the Forest Department and local authorities, alleging that despite repeated requests to remove dangerous roadside trees and dried branches, no action had been taken.
Residents said the present level of damage and inconvenience could have been avoided if timely action had been taken.
Need for precautionary measures
With the monsoon season beginning, locals said it is necessary to identify dangerous roadside trees and take preventive action. They warned that similar incidents could happen again if departments fail to coordinate and act quickly.
Why wait for a tragedy?
Residents of Niddodi alleged that departments ignored repeated complaints regarding dangerous trees near the road.
"Who is responsible for the financial loss and public inconvenience caused now?" residents questioned.
Major tragedy narrowly avoided
A car was passing through the road when the tree collapsed. Due to the alertness of the driver, the vehicle escaped the falling tree by a narrow margin. Locals said there could have been loss of life if traffic movement had been heavier at the time.