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Ombudsman Office mediated in a risk of tree collapse-case
A village resident was concerned about the condition of the trees on the government land nearby, particularly a large tree adjacent to his house, which had grown taller and taller with its trunk leaning more significantly. He feared that the tree might collapse suddenly under the impact of winds and storms, resulting in casualties. Back in 2019, he had made a report to the 1823 hotline before the typhoon season, asking the Government to handle this potentially dangerous tree.
Over the past few years, the resident had pressed for follow-up actions by the Government, but to no avail. Although 1823 once informed him that the Lands Department (“LandsD”) would arrange a site inspection, no actual action was taken all along. As the problem remained unresolved and his anxiety worsened, he approached The Ombudsman for help.
The Ombudsman’s Office sympathised with his long-standing concern, given that tree collapse had caused casualties time and again in the past. To prevent the recurrence of such tragedies, this Office proposed to handle his case by mediation, such that the resident could communicate directly with LandsD for speedy resolution of the problem.
LandsD explained that based on the information provided by the resident to 1823, it assessed that there was no sign of the tree at risk of falling for the time being. Due to the vast number of trees on government land, such cases would be handled in an orderly manner according to the degree of risks, and hence LandsD did not deploy staff to conduct site inspection immediately.
With the assistance and guidance of our mediator, LandsD recognised that to settle this matter, it was paramount to address the public’s concern, rather than simply clarifying which was right and which was wrong. Through this Office, LandsD agreed to complete tree maintenance on the site within a week, so as to give the resident peace of mind at long last.
This case illustrates that government departments or public organisations should adopt a positive attitude to communicate with the public, attend and respond to their urgent needs promptly, ease their anxiety and resolve their daily practical problems.
Source: The Office of the Ombudsman, Hong Kong, China
