PUTRAJAYA: A special committee set up to monitor the care of trees in the capital in detail will hold its first meeting this month.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said though the inaugural meeting has been scheduled for this month, the date has yet to be decided.
"We will invite the Housing and Local Government Ministry to attend (the first meeting)," she said after witnessing the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding and Supply Agreement of Renewable Energy between Putrajaya Corporation and Tenaga Nasional Bhd here on Tuesday (June 4).
Dr Zaliha said the special committee included stakeholders from non-governmental organisations, arborists (woody plant experts), and experts from the Malaysia Forest Research Institute.
When asked about the housing ministry's proposal for local authorities to hire arborists to improve landscape management in each municipal area, Dr Zaliha said the proposal was well received. Still, local authorities in the Federal Territories would like to have arborists and outside expertise.
On May 20, Dr Zaliha was reported to have said that a discussion related to the implementation and care of trees in Kuala Lumpur will be held soon with a special committee that has been established.
The formation of the special committee was following several tree falling incidents due to heavy rain and strong winds, including on May 7, which claimed a man's life and damaged 17 vehicles and part of the monorail track in Jalan Sultan Ismail.
Other incidents happened on May 13, when a fallen tree in Jalan Pinang damaged a police vehicle escorting the Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusof, and on May 25, when toppled trees in several locations in Kuala Lumpur damaged vehicles and blocked roads. – Bernama
