SRINAGAR: In the wake of a near-tragic incident involving a large Chinar tree, the management of Srinagar’s historic Amar Singh Club has urged the district administration to conduct an urgent safety audit of the towering trees lining the Club premises and the adjoining Sonwar main road.
In a formal communication addressed to the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, the Club’s Secretary, Nasir Hamid Khan, drew attention to the dangers posed by ageing and overgrown Chinar trees, citing multiple past incidents of property damage and even loss of life in the area.
The latest incident occurred on Saturday, April 18, around 4 pm, when a massive portion of a Chinar tree located just outside the Club’s main gate broke off and came crashing down onto the boundary wall. The falling tree destroyed a seventy-foot section of the wall, including the entry and exit gates. While no casualties were reported, the incident caused significant structural damage.
A photograph of the damaged Club premises appeared on the front page of Greater Kashmir on April 19, underlining the seriousness of the situation.
“It is nothing short of a miracle that no lives were lost,” the Club stated in its letter. “Only last month, on the request of the Club’s Managing Committee, the CRPF/JKP bunker and JKP barrack located at the very spot were kindly relocated. Had they not been moved, there could have been multiple casualties.”
The letter requests the Deputy Commissioner to initiate a comprehensive safety audit and undertake pruning of unsafe branches and trees both within the Club premises and along the adjoining Sonwar road.
The Club has assured the district administration of its full cooperation in facilitating the audit and related works.
