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If the early morning ‘sound and light’ show, accompanying the torrential downpour, heralding the onset of the North East monsoon was not enough, I witnessed a massive tree being uprooted and falling right across the road in Alwarpet.
A whatsapp message to Chennai Police Commissioner Mahesh Aggarwal and Corporation Deputy Commissioner Dr.Alby John and a tweet to Deputy Commissioner Meghanath Reddy, worked like magic.
In what augurs well for our preparedness for the upcoming monsoon fury, teams from the Chennai Police and Corporation, assisted by good samaritans like local autodriver and fruit vendor Ramamurthy, had the trunk chopped and branches cleared in less than forty five minutes. The swift commando style operation ensured that there were no traffic snarls and also obviated any need for diversions.
A lawyer friend Akhil Bhansali who drove past the stretch at about ten o’ clock, hardly found any tell tale signs of what could have caused destruction and a traffic pile up.
For the men on the spot, it was all in a day’s work. That’s what many of us take for granted.
(Sanjay Pinto is an Advocate practising at the Madras High Court, Columnist, Author, Public Speaking Mentor & Former Resident Editor – NDTV 24X7)
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