Faced with mounting delays in removing trees that pose a threat to public safety, the District Development Committee has decided to submit a set of recommendations to the Ministers for Forests and Local Self-Government to address the technical hurdles holding up the process.

The recommendations will be submitted under the leadership of district panchayat president Joshi Philip, who also chairs the District Tree Committee. The move comes amid a growing number of complaints over the delay in felling hazardous trees along roadsides and within the premises of government offices and educational institutions.

The committee had earlier directed the authorities concerned to remove dangerous trees from school campuses before the start of the academic year. However, the Deputy Director of Education informed that action had stalled in most cases as the trees had failed to fetch the assessed value fixed for their disposal.

Flooding of homes

Addressing the meeting, Changanassery legislator Vinu Job said residents living along the A.C. Canal had begun experiencing flooding inside their homes with the onset of the monsoon. He urged the authorities to deepen the canal to improve water flow and prevent inundation.

Encroachments by eateries

The meeting also sought stringent action against the growing number of makeshift roadside eateries encroaching on public land across the district. Members pointed out that many of the establishments were operating without food safety licences and demanded that health cards be made mandatory for all employees. District Collector Chetan Kumar Meena presided over the meeting.

Meanwhile, the District Development Committee in Pathanamthitta has decided to initiate immediate measures to reduce accidents on the MC Road stretch between Enathu and Pandalam, a corridor that has witnessed a series of road mishaps.

The committee, which met on Saturday, directed the District Police Chief to intensify vehicle inspections at accident-prone locations, while the Pathanamthitta Regional Transport Officer (RTO) was asked to initiate stringent action against traffic violators.

Anti-narcotics enforcement has also been stepped up around the Pandalam and Adoor KSRTC bus stands, with teams from DANSAF and the Narcotics Cell conducting regular inspections. Parallel checks are also being carried out under the supervision of the Adoor Excise Circle Inspector.

During the meeting, the Konni Divisional Forest Officer informedthat two cages had been procured to mitigate incidents of human-wildlife conflict in the district.