Panaji: The revival of the southwest monsoon showers after a brief hiatus triggered a series of tree falls across the state disrupting vehicular movement and power supply across multiple villages. The directorate of fire and emergency services teams from Mapusa and Pilerne remained on high alert, attending to at least seven emergency calls within a 24-hour window. The fire services control room received approximately 32 calls for tree falls till 7pm on Tuesday.A tree that uprooted and fell outside the chief minister’s residence in the evening and was successfully removed following a coordinated operation involving fire services personnel, Panaji municipal workers, and a private crane operator. The fallen tree had landed on two vehicles, one of which reportedly belonged to former deputy CM Chandrakant ‘Babu’ Kavlekar.Fire personnel, assisted by workers from the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), carefully lifted and cleared the fallen tree from the vehicles and roadway.“Everything has been cleared. The road has been reopened. The remaining portions of the tree will be collected by municipality trucks tomorrow,” station fire officer Rupesh Sawant said.Fire officers described the Tuesday as “hectic,” with emergency vehicles responding continuously to weather-related incidents from as early as 2am. Even road networks bore the brunt of the gusty winds. The Mapusa-Anjuna belt was particularly affected, with two separate tree falls reported near Savitri Super Market in Uddowada, Chapora. Blockages were also cleared near Sankalp Hospital in Duler and at Dattwadi, where a large jackfruit tree branch blocked the road near the Datta Temple.No casualties have been reported so far.
