Coconut trees in crowded residential areas in Bangalore, Karnataka have become a danger to neighbours, their property, vehicles, and are a risk to innocent people. Coconut trees swing wildly in the rains and windy season, and drop coconuts in neighbouring compounds and the road which has passers-by and parked vehicles. Coconuts fall even when there is no wind because they are not plucked regularly. Coconut pluckers are not available easily or regularly, and their charges have also gone up in the last 10 years. Coconuts weigh 2-3 kilograms and drop from a height of 20-25 plus metres with a lot of damaging force.

During Covid times from March 2020, coconut pluckers are not easily available. This situation may prevail in 2020 and extend to 2021. Coconuts are falling and putting fear in the heart of adjacent neighbours, especially in current Covid times. A coconut fell within one metre from me in December 2019 but my neighbour did nothing.

Bangalore is a place with crowded individual houses and apartment buildings. The city has tall coconut trees numbering at least a few thousand which were planted in the last 50 years. They are tall and have reached a height of more than 20 metres and many may be only 9 inches thick (hence swinging wildly). Coconut trees are not meant for cities. They are meant for coastal areas with plenty of space and coconut pluckers.

The metal umbrella solution has not been found to be effective as trees grow taller. The plastic wire mesh solution has been suggested too. However, we cannot be sure of their secure operation and always live in fear that a coconut may fall on us as and when the plastic mesh dries in the sun and becomes weak. Most coconut trees in Bangalore have not been secured by any method and owners do not feel responsible or accountable to do anything when neighbours complain. Neighbours, many being senior citizens, grown-ups and children find it very difficult to make the coconut owners cut their trees.

Neighbours at risk have tried to put nets to cover their compound. However, thin and old trees which are 20+ metres high endanger a large space which nets cannot cover. In addition nets can also get continually damaged as coconuts fall. The cost and onus of this is forced on neighbours at risk. This is causing me and many others a lot of distress. I am facing this for 20+ years but my unsympathetic neighbour has not done anything until today. In fact, when he constructed his first floor 20 years back, he made his roof sloping so that coconuts have fallen in my compound and on the road which connects to a metro station and hundreds of travellers walked past daily. His tree is perhaps 30-35 years old.

The government must fix responsibility for damages to property and life on the coconut tree owners immediately. Hence, we request the Karnataka and Kerala governments to quickly and strictly enforce a law to cut trees which reach a height of 10 metres, are old and thin. The government must ban coconut trees in crowded neighbourhoods. The governments must cooperate to cut the coconut trees soon and send coconut pluckers every 2-3 months and enforce coconut plucking of small trees. The government must document each coconut tree in Karnataka.