Una: Dead tree falls on house, damages roof , woman gets mere Rs 15k relief

Our Correspondent

Una, April 25

A house and a cattleshed in Kutheda Jaswalan village were badly damaged after a roadside tree fell on these during strong winds on April 19.

The house-owner, Asha Devi, said she had been running from one department to another for the past many weeks, requesting the authorities that the dried-up tree, which was on the land owned by the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD), be cut down and removed to avoid any untoward incident.

She said her worst fears, however, turned out to be true that night when the tree fell, damaging the concrete reinforced roof of the house and the tin-roofed cattle shed.

Asha Devi said she approached the office of the PWD Assistant Engineer at Gagret, where she was told that permission from the Forest Department was needed to certify that the tree indeed posed a danger to the house. Besides, it needed to be proved by the Revenue Department that the PWD had the ownership of the land where the tree stood.

Later, the case reached the court of the Gagret Sub-Divisional Magistrate. An inter-departmental committee was constituted to conduct an on-the-spot inspection. According to the orders of the SDM, April 12, the case was filed in his court under Section 133 (d) (1) CrPC by complainant Asha Devi that the land, bearing Khasra number 3770 in Kutheda Jaswalan village, under the category “Gair Mumkin Road”, was in the possession of the state PWD, on which a dried mango tree was standing, which was posing a danger to the house of the applicant.

As per the orders, a joint committee, consisting of Assistant Engineer PWD Gagret, Assistant Engineer State Electricity Board, Forest Range Officer Amb, naib teshsildar Gagret and pradhan of Gram Panchayat Kutheda Jaswalan, had inspected the spot along with the applicant on April 5 and submitted a report to Una Divisional Forest Officer. On April 10, the DFO had told the court that the tree was indeed dangerous and should be removed, keeping in view the safety of the residents and the house.

On April 12, the SDM’s court ordered the PWD to remove the tree within a month of the receipt of the notice.The PWD ultimately got the house free of the fallen tree on April 22 and the Revenue Department assessed the loss due to the incident and provided an immediate relief of Rs 15,000 to the family, with a promise to provide full compensation as per the relief manual.

Asha Devi rued that much time had been wasted in official procedures and that if the tree had been removed in time, her house and cattle shed could have been saved. “Whatever relief the government gives, will be insufficient to build back the structure to its old strength,” she regretted.

‘Time wasted in official procedures’

• Asha Devi's house and a cattleshed in Kutheda Jaswalan village were badly damaged after a roadside tree fell on these during strong winds on April 19.
• Asha Devi rued that much time had been wasted in official procedures and that if the tree had been removed in time, her house and cattle shed could have been saved.
• “Whatever relief the government gives, will be insufficient to build back the structure to its old strength,” she regretted.

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