THE damaged bell tower at Medan Selera Taman Kanak-Kanak in Jalan Raja Musa Aziz in Ipoh, Perak, will be demolished and replaced with another structure.
This follows public complaints that the dilapidated structure had become an eyesore.
Perak local government committee chairman Sandrea Ng said Ipoh City Council (MBI) was currently clearing the site to make way for a structure with a fresh design.
“The new structure will no longer include a digital board,” she said when contacted.
“The cost for the refurbishment is still being ironed out, but we hope it can be finalised soon,” she said during a visit to the food court, which is also known as Medan Selera Dato Tahwil Azar, earlier this month.
Ng said the bell tower fell into disrepair due to persistent vandalism.
“The digital board meant to display public announcements was repeatedly damaged by people throwing objects at it.
“The council also received reports from traders about children vandalising the structure.”
She added that while the traders tried to reprimand the youth, their warnings were largely ignored.
On a related note, Ng said the presence of homeless folk in the area remained an issue.
“Their presence could impact cleanliness and cause disturbance to both locals and tourists.
“Homelessness remains a challenging issue as some individuals refuse assistance and choose to return to the same spot.”
She said while enforcement was an option, matters concerning the homeless fell under Social Welfare Department jurisdiction.
