Chandigarh, Nov. 24 -- After identifying 158 dead and dry trees across the city, the UT administration has finally begun removing them-an exercise long awaited amid rising safety concerns. Last month, the UT forest department had directed the UT engineering department and the municipal corporation (MC) to take immediate action on uprooting hazardous trees. UT chief engineer CB Ojha confirmed the development. "We have identified 158 dead and dry trees and have already started axing them. The entire process will be completed within 15 days," he said. The matter was also reviewed during a meeting of UT secretaries held on September 19, where the issue of dead and dying trees was discussed in detail. Senior officials expressed serious concern over increasing reports of tree falls from various parts of Chandigarh and stressed the need for time-bound action by all departments. In recent months, especially during the monsoon, the city witnessed multiple incidents of dead trees collapsing and causing damage. The Punjab and Haryana high court had earlier held the administration responsible for the 2022 school tree-fall tragedy, rejecting its claim that it was an "act of God." The court noted that scientific methods were not used to assess the health of the 250-year-old heritage peepal tree, which suffered from heart rot disease. It directed the administration to pay Rs.1 crore compensation to the mother of the student who died and Rs.50 lakh to a child who lost a limb. In May last year, the forest department established a formal framework and timeline for identifying and removing trees that pose risks to life and property, particularly ahead of the monsoon season. As per this protocol, the MC and UT departments must complete the identification of dead, dry, or dangerous trees or tree parts within their jurisdiction by January every year. Following the 2022 school tragedy, the administration also set up a Tree Felling Committee (TFC), comprising the SDO (Horticulture) MC, SDO (Horticulture) of the UT engineering department, and the range forest officer of the forest department....