Mysore/Mysuru: A massive tree obstructed the 13th Cross Road, near the National Institute of Engineering (NIE) Women’s Hostel at Ashokapuram in the city, causing significant traffic disruption for more than one hour this morning.

Fortunately, there were no injuries, loss of life or property damage reported. It was discovered that a few days prior, unidentified individuals had ignited a fire at the base of the tree, weakening its structure and leading to its collapse around 7 am today. Fortunately, the road was devoid of pedestrian or vehicular traffic at that early hour, averting potential tragedy.

When the Forest staff and members of the MCC Abhaya team arrived to clear the fallen tree, a section of onlookers insisted on action against those responsible for igniting the fire, including arrest. However, another group reasoned with them about the urgent need to clear the obstruction to restore normalcy to public movement.

Ultimately, the fallen tree was promptly removed from the road, thanks to the efforts of the Abhaya-1 team, led by D. Manjunath and comprising Shreyas, Ravikumar and others. Their swift action ensured the smooth flow of traffic in the area.