The District Council has begun pruning the overgrown greenery on some road shoulders in Papar.
Telekom Malaysia (TM) Bhd, on the other hand, will clear the climbing plants and trim any tree branches which have encroached into the path of its assets along the stretch leading to a village outside the town.
This action was prompted by feedback from a Kinarut motorist, and another from Kg Sungkadon, about the lack of maintenance carried out on the trees and TM installations along the routes they used frequently.
The driver from the former area said the trees, including bamboo groves, on Jalan Kinarut Town and Jalan Mook had not been dealt with in years.
He feared that the overgrown branches and bamboo stems might break during a downpour, causing harm to motorists and pedestrians who might be passing by underneath.
His counterpart from the Papar village bemoaned the poor condition of the TM lines and poles, off Jalan Sungkadon.
Many of these cables were straining under the weight of the creepers which had grown around them, according to him. The poles supporting these lines were bending over dangerously, according to him, or had snapped in two.
These individuals provided Hotline with the location of the affected greenery, which was forwarded to both agencies.
A Council spokesman said its staff inspected the stretches highlighted by the road-user, shortly after becoming aware of his concerns.
“They confirmed the presence of the overgrown trees on either side of Jalan Kinarut Town and Jalan Mook,” he said.
A check of the agency’s records revealed that these stretches were listed in its road-register, according to him.
“The roads, including the reserve land on either side, are maintained by our concessionaires.
He said the Council’s personnel had been asked to accord priority to pruning those trees which are below 4.5 metres in height from the surface of the road to ensure that the branches did not break off and endanger the public.
“A four-man team from our Landscaping Division started felling some of the longer bamboo stems on Jalan Kinarut Town last week. We will do the same on Jalan Mook at a later date.”
He said further inspections needed to be made of the taller trees.
“We will have to strategise how best to deal with this greenery. It might be best if the pruning was carried out late at night or in the wee hours, when traffic on both roads was not so heavy.”
The spokesman said the road reserves under the agency’s jurisdiction, including the trees, were maintained on an ad hoc basis, only when it warranted doing so.
Nevertheless, he said its technicians had been asked to be more diligent in checking the condition of the greenery growing on these verges.
He admitted, however, that it was often difficult for them to keep up with their responsibilities.
“Our rating area stretches from Lok Kawi all the way up to Bongawan.
“We do not have enough manpower to cover such an extensive area. Even if we did, however, it would be impossible for our staff to be everywhere at once.”
Meanwhile, TM personnel in Papar have been asked to be equally proactive when it comes to dealing with the greenery growing on the road shoulders where the firm’s cables and poles have been erected.
A spokesman for the company said a check of Jalan Sungkadon was made as soon as the company was contacted by the media.
“Our staff confirmed that sections of the company’s lines were loaded with creepers,” he said. “Many of these cables were sagging under the weight of these plants.
“Thankfully, none of them had come away from their housings, otherwise our subscribers here, would surely have lost their TM services.”
He said the relevant section had been informed about these findings.
A second team was being mobilised and would return to the stretch, according to him.
“We are arranging to hire the equipment needed to remove the creepers and prune any overgrown branches in the vicinity.
“Our technicians will be asked to adjust the wires, and any poles which are leaning over, back to their original position, after the greenery has been cleared.”
