Uprooted Tree Outside Secunderabad School Narrowly Misses Children

A decades-old tree was uprooted by gusty winds on Monday evening outside Kakatiya School in Indira Nagar Colony, Warasiguda, Sitaphalmandi, Secunderabad, narrowly missing school children who were waiting outside.

The incident occurred while students were waiting after school hours for their parents to pick them up, causing panic among the children and local residents. Although several parked vehicles were damaged, no casualties or injuries were reported.

The incident happened opposite the private school premises. Gripped by fear, the children ran for safety as the massive tree came crashing down. Some of the students were heading home at the time, while others were still waiting on the school premises.

According to local residents, the falling tree damaged several parked autos and two-wheelers in the area. Locals noted that given the severity of the crash, the incident could have easily turned tragic if the children had not run away in time.

Following the incident, officials from the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) reached the spot promptly. The TGSPDCL officials took immediate measures to ensure that the local power supply remained uninterrupted. Locals praised the department’s swift response, noting that it successfully prevented snapped power lines from becoming an immediate hazard to passersby and residents.

In contrast, residents voiced anger over the response of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The residents alleged that after informing the GHMC's emergency wing about the uprooted tree, they were simply directed to contact the Disaster Response Force (DRF) team of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection Agency (HYDRAA).

Locals stated that being passed from one department to another reflected negligence from the GHMC, which is an agency expected to provide immediate relief during such emergencies.