Decorative plants stolen in Mont Kiara

SEVERAL shoots of the Aglaonema plant, popularly known as Chinese evergreen, have disappeared from Jalan Desa Kiara in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said the decorative shrubs were planted at key roads in the city.

Also referred to as the Red Master, the shrub comes in shades of red, green and silver.

Traders and the homeless in Medan Pasar store items near plants and shrubs. — Photos: FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

A check online showed that a pot of the plant sells for about RM40.

“It looks like the plants were pulled out very carefully so I think whoever took it wanted to re-plant it elsewhere, ’’ said DBKL Corporate Planning Department director Khairul Azmir Ahmad.Condemning the action, he said, the plants mostly stolen are in affluent areas like Mont Kiara.

“Reports of plant theft usually occur in areas like Solaris and Sri Hartamas around Segambut as these areas are close to protocol roads, ’’ he said.

Protocol roads are those used by VIPs during their journey in and out of the city centre.

Khairul Azmir added that vandalism was prevalent in government housing projects as well as areas surrounding the River of Life (RoL) project, which was a hotspot for the homeless.

Khairul Azmir says those caught stealing or destroying city assets can be fined up to RM2,000.

“We get reports of plants and shrubs being destroyed near areas where the homeless community sleep and store things, ’’ he said.

Khairul warned that those caught stealing or destroying city assets like the plants could be fined under the Vandalism (Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) By-laws 1991, which carried a maximum compound of RM2,000.

StarMetro did a spot check and discovered minor damage to plants in areas near Medan Pasar and Masjid Jamek.

Shrubs in these areas were used by the homeless to dry their clothes, and some traders operating makeshift stalls in the vicinity stored their tables and stools near bushes.

Shoots of the Chinese evergreen at Jalan Desa Kiara in Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur have been uprooted.

Last month, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah said more flowering plants would be grown to reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

The move, he said, was to encourage the butterfly population in the city, which according to experts was dwindling.

He said DBKL’s Landscape and Recreational Development Department started planting flowering trees and shrubs in more than 100 locations in the city, including along highways and main roads.