Monday August 4, 2008
Trees make way for billboards
By CHARLES FERNANDEZ
THE Selangor government has launched a tree-planting campaign but the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) is doing just the opposite — chopping down trees.
And along the MRR2 near Pandan Perdana, Ampang, this is being done at the request of Nilam Simfoni, an advertising company, to erect huge billboards.
In 2004, 15 trees along the highway were chopped down, barely five years after being planted.
And just a week ago, another 10 trees lining the highway were chopped down to make room for the company’s fourth billboard since 2004.
Sorry sight: Lim showing a tree trunk lying along the MRR2 highway. Although their complaints to MPAJ on the first three billboards fell on deaf ears, residents of Pandan Perdana, especially the business community, said they were completely aghast with MPAJ for allowing the advertising company to erect another billboard on the same stretch along the highway.
Residents Association chairman Lim Ah Chai said one of three billboards was believed to be powered by illegal tapping of electricity from a nearby lamp-post and the same could happen to the new billboard once it was erected.
The residents had lodged a complaint with Tenaga Nasional Berhad last year and to the state Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) in April this year.
Following the complaint, TNB disconnected the power supply to the billboards and ACA reported that they have taken action against the advertising company.
“This is a secondary matter, but what we want to know is why the council approved billboards to be erected at the expense of cutting down trees when the state government is aggressively promoting tree-planting in residential areas?’’ asked Lim.
He said the business community had also complained that the billboards were blocking their offices and this was damaging their business,’’ said Lim.
He added that when he contacted the Landscaping and Town Planning unit, they claimed ignorance on what was going on, even claiming that the trees were there when they approved the licence.
“Why would anybody want to erect a billboard where there are trees,’’ said Lim.
He said MPAJ had a moral duty to listen to their grievances and residents feared that the remaining six trees would sooner or later make way for more billboards.
Source:
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