The Cuffe Parade police had to take choppers and axes in their hands after at least five huge trees, which fell amidst Wednesday's heavy rains, blocked the roads towards the World Trade Center (WTC). Many office goers, including several IPC officers, were reportedly stranded in the building.
On Wednesday, heavy downpour and gusty winds lashed South Mumbai. The intensity of winds was so much that at least 100 tree uprooting incidents were reported in South Mumbai alone.
The area of Cuffe Parade was severely affected by the Wednesday's rains as well. At least, five huge trees blocked the road to WTC from Dhanpal Junction, while the other road from GD Somani Marg was submerged under water. After many office goers and many senior police officers were stranded in their offices, the Cuffe Parade police took the tree clearing operation into their own hands.
The police collected choppers from chicken shops and started cutting the tree branches on their own. The operation, which started at 3 pm, continued till 7 pm. After cutting the trees, police pulled all the heavy branches with the help of ropes and cleared the road for traffic.
"Around 20 of our personnel, along with the locals, cleared the roads for traffic after several hours," said Rajkumar Dongre, senior inspector of Cuffe Parade police station.
.jpg)