Calcutta police are not the only ones rediscovering their spine. A tree keeling over near Lalbazar for a year is standing tall again, thanks to the efforts of a group of nature lovers.
A storm last year had left the Rudrapalash (Spathodia) tree leaning against an iron fence on the western pavement of Government Place (East) - near the western gate of Raj Bhavan and about 500 metres from the police headquarters. A portion of the tree, which blooms in spring and summer, had been uprooted, weakening the base.
For over a year, the tree had remained in this precarious state, risking collapse every time a strong gust of wind blew. Its year of leaning dangerously ended after the police requested NGO Nature Mates to see if something could be done about the tree.
One of the most important steps was shaving off the top of the tree so that it could regain its footing. Calcutta police too have displayed the semblance of a spine after the Election Commission removed Rajeev Kumar as top cop barely a week before the first phase of Assembly elections in the city.
The city police's non-partisan handling of elections - officers were seen cracking down on ruling party goons - had won all-round praise.
The Election Commission had removed Kumar on April 12 following complaints of bias against him by Opposition parties. The poll panel then picked Soumen Mitra to replace him.
Several police officers told Metro that if the top boss is fair, those working down the hierarchy feel enthused and empowered to act without bias, as was evident in the police's role during the elections.
In the case of the Rudrapalash, the head growth had to be chopped off to reduce the risk of the tree keeling over. Since the roots of the tree are tender (a portion of the roots was exposed to air for over a year) and this being the season of Nor'westers, there was a chance that the 24ft high tree with a head load would have collapsed under strong winds.
"The tree could have toppled on the road and injured commuters any time. The officer-in-charge of headquarters traffic guard, Prasenjit Shome, had told us about this tree when we were transplanting some trees near Calcutta High Court. He requested us to do something so that it did not die," said Arjan Basu Roy, a member of Nature Mates, which works on nature conservation and awareness creation.
On Saturday morning, about a dozen men were deployed to do the pruning and straightening. The men first chopped off all the branches of the tree from its side and top to make it lighter. The height of the tree was reduced to about 16ft. The work started at 7am and ended around 2pm.
After the branches were chopped off, the roots were treated with anti-fungal medicine and root growing hormone. "The anti-fungal medicine helps to heal any wound or tear in the roots that may have been injured during the restoration work. The hormone acts as a stimulant to help the roots grow again," said Arjan.
A small portion of the soil at the base was dug up and the exposed roots were buried under the soil. Two bamboos were used as support to keep the tree straight and prevent it from reclining again.
The entire work cost Rs 13,000. The all-important funds, for which the NGO had to wait about six months, came from the Indian Institute of Architects' West Bengal chapter (Sustainability Cell).
The tree might be certain to grow and bloom again next summer but it is a bit of a mystery whether Calcutta Police's rediscovered spine will hold up till then.
Familiar allegations of bias are being levelled again at the cops post-poll. The main accused among Trinamul supporters who had assaulted a nine-year-old girl at Haridevpur immediately after the polls - because her grandfather had voted defying the ruling party's diktat - remains at large despite being named by the family in the FIR. This, after mayor Sovan Chatterjee, under whose Behala (East) constituency the attack occurred, had acknowledged a Trinamul hand in the assault. While meeting the girl, the mayor rebuked the men accompanying him by saying: "Ei tora keno orokom korechis?" (Why did you do that?).
