Ivan Stoyanov, the mayor of the “Iztochen” district in Plovdiv, reported to Plovdiv24.bg that not a single signal was filed in the town hall of the “East” district that the tree that fell on children was dangerous and should be removed. The tree was straight and perfectly sound in appearance, yet it was blown down by a strong gust of wind.
Before the reconstruction of the “Kamenitsa” park, a thorough survey of the trees was done by his order. Then Stoyanov personally insisted on the removal of a plane tree, whose stem was strongly inclined and because of the potential danger to people, it was cut down. However, the tree that fell yesterday was visibly healthy and no report was filed.
The regional mayor learned about the incident with the children literally minutes after it happened. Even though he has the flu at home, he immediately ordered City Hall teams to go to the scene. Yesterday, his deputy was with the injured in the hospital and according to his information, the two girls have head injuries, and the third is in a corset because of a cracked third lumbar vertebra. The schoolgirls were discharged last night for home treatment.
Stoyanov has repeatedly said that Plovdiv is not a reserve to preserve trees of 300 years. The city is alive, growing, new streets are built, trees are cut down and new ones are planted. He doesn’t accept that environmental activists use every opportunity to show that their theme is the green system, and he realizes that in an election year like this it’s good to ride the wave. He recalls the protests against the removal of trees on “Warshava” street and the lawsuit filed against him for this.
“I am a biologist by profession and the green system and clean atmospheric air are close to me. However, we must realize that Plovdiv is a living city and is developing,” commented the regional mayor.
The tree that fell on the children was a tragic reminder of the importance of proper tree maintenance and the potential danger of not addressing issues with trees that may be at risk of falling. It is vital that all trees are regularly inspected and any potential risks are identified and addressed to ensure the safety of the public.
