Before: Majestic trees provide shade for weary pedestrians next to the concrete jungle that is Komtar Photo by a concerned George Town resident
After: Going, going… and gone before you know it
They just can’t stand the sight of any greenery.
This was the scene at 3.30pm today outside Komtar, where about half a dozen trees lay mutilated as around them a crane and a bull-dozer snorted and grunted.
From what I understand, even simple tree pruning - let alone hacking and chopping - requires prior approval from the Penang Municipal Council. And from what I hear, an application was received by the Council yesterday, but before it could be approved… well, you can see what has happened.
Can the council and the state government confirm if it had given approval for the tree-cutting at their door-step?
Could we have some CAT here so that we know what is going on?
Says one upset George Town resident:
Whilst the rest of the planet is going green, Penang is still stuck in a 1970s mentality. So much for CAT; I think it’s CRAP (Continually Ruin Anything Pleasant).
It’s ironic. There was a talk on the expansion of the Botanic Gardens today. Expand one side, chop in the ‘heat island’ (trapped heat in built-up areas) on the other. These guys aren’t lining up for the Noble Peace Prize.
Apparently, some private firm is paying for this “beautification” project… If the state has approved this, why aren’t they showing the public the plans? Or have they?
Funny they did it on Friday, school holiday, etc. Metropole, here we go again. They must think we are thick, blind or really don’t care… just like them.
It’s a pity as some of the Komtar interior upgrading work looks fabulous, especially the entrance area to Maybank. The irony is that the cladding on top of the tiles in the lift lobby after the entrance bears a tree motif.
Meanwhile, the Esplanade has still not yet been repaired after the tennis fiasco.
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