GEORGE TOWN: Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has denied having towing away 20 cars to clear space along Karpal Singh Drive for a mega ceramah event on Saturday (Aug 5).
In a statement issued by the council, it said only five cars were towed away to a nearby spot after announcements were made and sirens sounded.
"The council has received the application to close the road from 12am on Saturday to 1am on Sunday (Aug 6).
"Officers from the council had arrived at the site and closed up roads before starting the clearing at 1.30am.
"Before clearing the area, sirens were sounded a few times to order car owners to move their vehicles," it said.
"Announcements through the loudspeaker were also made and most owners had alighted their vehicles elsewhere.
"However, there were five cars that were not shifted and MBPP had to move them away to clear the site to erect a canopy and stage," added the council.
It then said on Saturday that the five cars were not towed to MBPP's enforcement depot but were shifted to a nearby spot out of the closure area.
The council said a report on local media which had claimed that 20 cars were being towed away, causing owners to find their vehicles missing in the morning, and that notice or warning being issued prior to it was not accurate.
The ceramah which starts at 8pm, which is part of the Perpaduan Madani tour series, is expected to feature several key speakers including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Penang Pakatan Harapan chairman Chow Kon Yeow, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng and Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir.
