Telipok, Luyang rate-payers urged to prune fruit trees
Published on: Tuesday, August 03, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
City Hall workers pruning the trees on the drain reserve at the back of Lorong Apens 2 in Luyang.
RATE-payers in one part of Telipok and Luyang will be urged to prune the fruit trees they planted outside their backyard fences as the overgrown greenery is hindering efforts to maintain this common land, including the drains here.A spokesman for City Hall’s Landscaping Department said flyers to this affect would be circulated in these neighbourhoods.ADVERTISEMENT
“They will be given the opportunity to tidy up this area and tend to their plants,” he said.
A worker uses a ‘parang’ to trim the undergrowth which has formed on the debris of the gabion wall.
“Should they fail to do so, then they may be required to uproot their greenery and remove any other obstructions which they have placed here.”
He said notices with these instructions would be served to the respective homeowners in such an eventuality.
He said the agency would consider chopping down these trees, if these individuals failed to comply.ADVERTISEMENT
“By right, rate-payers are not supposed to occupy the drain reserves nearest to them as this is government land.
“However, allowance is given for the public to do some gardening here as these efforts contribute to the overall beautification of the City.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Nevertheless, the spokesman said, the onus was on “these gardeners” to look after their greenery.
The spokesman said City Hall was responsible for attending to the drain reserves around the State Capital.
“The grass in these areas is cut on a monthly basis.
Banana trees have been planted on the reserve behind another home in Taman Putera Perdana.
“Any trees in these common areas, which were planted by us, are pruned as and when it becomes necessary to do so.”
AARON of Luyang bemoaned the nuisance created by the greenery, including palm and lime trees, growing on the reserve behind his house in Taman Century.
“The trees have not been trimmed in a long time,” he said.
“They are so overgrown that I have to walk around the tangle of branches just to access the land outside my fence.”
He said, at one stage, he saw his neighbour placing fertiliser at the base of these plants and appealed to her to prune this greenery.
Aaron said his pleas had, so far, fallen on deaf ears.
The landscaping staff had to balance themselves carefully while clearing the land.
“The area has become so unkempt that I fear unscrupulous parties might take advantage of the situation to peep inside my house and stage a break-in.
“Several homes along my housing road have already been burgled over the past few months, so I was understandably concerned.”
Aaron related his misgivings to City Hall in March about what was transpiring at the back of his house.
He contacted the agency five months later and was dismayed to find that his grievance had yet to be addressed.
He said the situation had become worse in the intervening months.
This ‘limau purut’ has not been pruned since it was planted on the drain reserve in Taman Century.
On top of letting her garden grow wild, Aaron said his neighbour had even placed tiles in some places on the reserve.
“The glaze on the tiles makes them slippery. Anyone stepping on them could easily slip and fall, especially if they are wet.”
He wondered how the common drain in this area was being cleaned under these circumstances.
Aaron feared that the improper maintenance of this structure might lead to anyone living in the vicinity getting dengue.
“Any blockages will cause the water in the drain to stagnate. Aedes mosquitoes would very likely begin breeding here,” he said.
MARCELLA of Telipok expressed similar concerns about a dengue outbreak taking place in Taman Putera Perdana.
She said there were overgrown gardens on the common land at the back of several homes in the neighbourhood.
She observed that there were banana trees in one backyard reserve, while at another there were tapioca plants.
The greenery in both areas had not been tended to in some time, according to her.
“I don’t think the backyard drain at either of these locations can be cleaned properly,” she said.
“In the case of the tapioca plants, the criss-crossing branches would make it particularly difficult for anyone to do so.”
Both rate-payers provided Hotline with the location of the unkempt drain reserves in their respective areas. This information was forwarded to City Hall.
Meanwhile, a team from the agency recently spent some time tending to the greenery on a drain reserve at the back of Lorong Apens 2, Luyang.
The spokesman said it took several days to finish pruning the trees and clearing the undergrowth as this government land was situated on a slope.
“Due to the steepness of the incline, as well as the extensiveness of the overgrown area, this work could not be completed on one visit,” he said.
“The nine workers also had to move carefully around the debris of a collapsed gabion wall which was strewn about the reserve.”
He said these staff trimmed the branches and cut away the plants closer to the ground using ‘parangs’ and chainsaws.
They also cleared the drain in the vicinity of any dried leaves and twigs which may have fallen inside, according to him.
“We will keep an eye on this government land from time to time to ensure that it does not become unkempt.”
When asked how often the reserve was maintained, the spokesman said this was done when it became necessary to do so.
SHIMA said the trees towered over her backyard in Taman Dixon.
“They shed leaves in my compound and I am constantly having to sweep up this mess,” she said.
“Worse still, some often fall into the backyard drain, clogging it up and causing it to overflow, when it rains.
“During the dry season, the water inside stagnates, giving of a stench.”
She said she was forced to keep the doors and windows closer to the drain closed, to prevent the foul odour from getting inside.
Shima said she had related these concerns to City Hall several times over the past few years but, so far, the trees had yet to be trimmed.
“At one stage, one of the agency’s came to have a look at the slope.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
“He took note of the potential nuisance and danger posed by the trees and told me that he would make his superiors aware of his observations.
“However, nothing came from his effort.”