Two Workers Killed in Tree Collapse at Howrah: A massive eucalyptus tree fell inside the premises of the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) early Wednesday morning, crushing two employees to death and injuring one more. The sudden collapse, which occurred just outside the chairperson’s office, has raised critical questions about urban tree safety, infrastructure negligence, and disaster preparedness in municipal spaces.
Two Workers Killed in Tree Collapse at Howrah: The Victims
The deceased have been identified as:
- Umesh Mahato (51) – a permanent Health Department sprayman
- Nur Mohammad (53) – a municipal security guard
Both were crushed while sitting under the shade of the eucalyptus tree, taking their routine early morning tea break. A third worker, Dinesh, a temporary staff member, sustained injuries and was rushed to the Howrah District Hospital. He was later discharged.
The victims were seated near a paved area around the tree’s base—just outside Chairperson Dr. Sujoy Chakraborty’s office—when the tree snapped and fell with a thunderous crash around 5:45 AM.
What Caused the Collapse?
Initial reports suggest that the eucalyptus tree, overgrown and aging, may have weakened due to recent heavy rains and gusty winds. Municipal officials stated that concretized soil around the tree base may have prevented proper root expansion and drainage, undermining its stability.
Learn more:
Urban Tree Root Damage and Soil Compaction – USDA Forest Service
Understanding Eucalyptus Tree Failures – Arboriculture & Urban Forestry Journal
Eucalyptus trees, though fast-growing and commonly used in Indian municipalities, are notorious for sudden limb failure and are more prone to root instability, especially in monsoon regions.
Rescue and Cleanup
Emergency responders and local staff rushed to the scene within minutes. Bystanders, tea stall vendors, and municipal sweepers joined in rescue efforts, manually cutting branches and lifting debris. It took nearly 30 minutes to pull out the victims from under the collapsed tree.
Mahato and Mohammad were declared dead on arrival at the hospital, having sustained multiple head and chest injuries. Dinesh survived with bruises.
Municipal authorities used electric saws and excavators to clear the tree within an hour. Police from the Howrah Police Station recorded eyewitness accounts and sealed off the area for inspection.
Chairperson’s Statement
Speaking to the press later that morning, HMC Chairperson Dr. Sujoy Chakraborty called the incident “deeply unfortunate.”
“There was no apparent warning. The tree looked healthy. However, it’s possible that last night’s rain and soil loosening caused the fall. If this had happened later during office hours, the toll would have been far worse.”
He assured that:
- Compensation would be provided to the victims’ families
- The injured worker would receive full support
- A complete tree audit and inspection would be conducted at the HMC premises
Negligence Allegations Emerge
While officials attributed the incident to natural causes, local opposition leaders and residents allege negligence. According to a few eyewitnesses and municipal employees, the tree had been leaning visibly for over a week. Some claimed that prior complaints had been made to the engineering wing, but no action was taken.
A member of the opposition stated:
“The tree was visibly unstable. Everyone saw it tilting. Why didn’t anyone act? Two people are dead today because of laziness and lack of inspection.”
Accountability and Legal Questions
This incident once again raises a larger issue in Indian cities: urban forestry maintenance and the lack of regular inspection of large trees, especially in aging government premises and public parks.
Existing Guidelines:
Under the National Urban Greening Policy, urban local bodies are required to:
- Inspect trees every monsoon
- Avoid cementing around root zones
- Remove or treat diseased or leaning trees
National Urban Greening Guidelines – Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Tree Risk Management Manual – FAO Urban Forestry Toolkit
Despite these rules, many civic bodies fail to implement routine audits, especially on private properties or within enclosed government premises.
Personal Tragedies Behind the Headlines
- Umesh Mahato, a veteran worker, was the sole breadwinner in a joint family that included two children and aging parents.
- Nur Mohammad lived in a modest home in Howrah and supported his ailing wife and school-going grandchildren.
For both families, the sudden loss was not only emotional but economically devastating.
Local welfare organizations have appealed to HMC to expedite compensation disbursement, offer government jobs to next of kin, and support children’s education.
Pattern of Recurrence: Not an Isolated Case
This isn’t the first fatal tree fall in urban India. Other similar tragedies include:
- Mumbai (2023): A woman crushed to death by a rain-soaked banyan tree in Malabar Hill
- Delhi (2022): Teenager killed as tree collapsed during school assembly in Rohini
- Bangalore (2020): A tech employee died when a tree uprooted near her office entrance
These incidents reveal a systemic failure to maintain trees in urban environments—especially where aging trees coexist with heavy concrete, underground cabling, and urban runoff.
Recommended Safety Measures Going Forward
To prevent future tragedies, urban experts suggest:
- Annual tree risk audits using arborists and satellite imaging
- Ban on concrete paving around tree trunks (minimum 1-m radius)
- Mandatory GPS-tagging and health status logs for all trees on government properties
- Emergency tree-fall drills and first-response training for staff
- Quick response helplines for reporting leaning or cracked trees
Several Indian cities like Pune, Chandigarh, and Hyderabad have introduced Urban Tree Management Systems (UTMS) to monitor tree health in real time.
Conclusion: A Wake-Up Call for Civic Infrastructure
The deaths of Umesh Mahato and Nur Mohammad must not be dismissed as collateral damage from nature’s unpredictability. Instead, they underline the urgent need to:
- Rethink tree maintenance as infrastructure
- Ensure accountability in urban safety audits
- Treat environmental features like trees as assets with liabilities
For now, Howrah mourns two lives lost not in an act of violence or disease—but in a preventable accident caused by a failure to notice, act, and care.
External Resources for Further Reading:
- Urban Tree Risk Management – U.S. Forest Service Guidebook
- Ministry of Housing: Urban Greening and Tree Guidelines (India)
- India’s National Disaster Management Guidelines – Urban Flooding
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