By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, May 16 — The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has allocated RM17 million to cut and prune the 1,200 trees under its purview which have been identified as posing risks, including falling.
Mayor Cheremi Tarman said that so far, 500 trees have been maintained by 87 appointed contractors to prevent unwanted incidents and ensure the safety of all parties.
“The council has allocated RM17 million for this tree cutting and pruning work. So far, over 500 trees have been maintained, including trimming, and the work is ongoing.
“There have been one or two cases of fallen trees, but those instances only involved property damage. We resolved them through group insurance,” he said after a food voucher distribution programme yesterday.
Cheremi added that the felled trees will be replaced with new ones which have stronger roots for long-term benefits.
“For every tree felled, it is replaced with a new one. The new trees planted also have fewer shedding leaves,” he said.
The current uncertain weather conditions have led to incidents of falling trees in several areas, including in Kuala Lumpur, which resulted in the death of a driver on May 7.
Four days later, two decades-old trees fell, damaging five vehicles along Jalan Macalister in Penang.
On Monday (May 13), strong winds and heavy rain caused a tree to fall in front of Kuwait Bank along Jalan Pinang in Kuala Lumpur, narrowly missing a police vehicle escorting Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.
