Mumbai, June 26 -- A day after the monsoon's arrival exposed the city's vulnerability to tree falls and as many as 113 incidents of tree/ branch collapse were reported, including one in which a car was crushed, corporators across party lines on Thursday demanded that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) make tree trimming free of charge for citizens. The issue dominated discussions in the civic body's general body meeting, with elected representatives questioning the administration's accountability in light of recent tree/ branch collapse incidents. Raising the matter under the notice of section 66 (B) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, Goregaon corporator Ankit Prabhu referred to the May 10 tree-fall incident on Linking Road in Khar, where his neighbour, 15-year-old Aarika Shrivastava, died while another person was injured. "We cannot wait for accidents to happen before taking action. The civic body must ensure proper upkeep of trees and prevent such incidents," the Goregaon corporator said. Supporting the demand, Hetal Gala, chairperson of the BMC's market and garden committee, said, "Why should ordinary citizens pay for tree trimming? Their upkeep should be the civic body's responsibility." She also questioned the effectiveness of the BMC's response after tree-fall incidents, saying, "Every time a tree falls, an FIR is registered. But what action has actually been taken in the last 10 years after these FIRs?" Corporator Pravin Chheda pointed out that residents currently paid Rs.900-4,000 for tree trimming. Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi said nearly 70% of reported tree falls occur in the western suburbs. "During road and footpath works, tree bases are often concretised, restricting root growth and weakening the trees over time. This is one of the major reasons for tree collapses," he said. Leader of the house Ganesh Khankar said, "If a developer does not restore the original tree cover, the occupation certificate should be withheld."...