THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
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Fined RM300,000 for felling rain trees

Fined RM300,000 for felling rain trees

THE contractor that chopped down 16 rain trees along Jalan Cochrane has been ordered to pay RM300,000 as penalty.

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Loga Bala Mohan said a notice was issued to the contractor last week to pay the fine.
 
“We have penalties for people who indiscriminately chop down trees, especially old trees within the city,” he said.
 
The contractor was hired by the Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) for a road-widening project.
 
“I was informed that LTAT was not told that there was no approval to cut down the trees,” said Loga Bala.
 
“There have been too many cases of contractors disregarding the laws. We will not hesitate to take action,” he added.
 
It is learnt that each rain tree felled cost about RM5,000.
 
Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia (Ecomy) had expressed its disappointment over the tree felling.
 
(Top and above) The old, shady rain trees that previously lined both sides of Jalan Cochrane have been reduced to mere stumps by the contractor hired for a road-widening project, which has yet to be approved.
The old, shady rain trees that previously lined both sides of Jalan Cochrane have been reduced to mere stumps by the contractor hired for a road-widening project, which has yet to be approved.
“Mature trees are part and parcel of a mature community and its civilisation. As such, they have a bigger significance than just providing irreplaceable ecological services such as clean air, cutting down noise pollution and cooling down the ambient temperature of an area,” said Ecomy president Andrew Sebastian.
 
“They are part of a city’s identity and must be preserved at all cost.
 
“The illegal felling of these trees must therefore be condemned. At the same time, we applaud Kuala Lumpur City Hall for punishing the perpetrator,” he added.
 
It was reported that 16 rain trees along Jalan Cochrane were chopped down last week, although the proposal for road widening there had not been approved yet.
 
The project was discussed during the one-stop centre meeting on March 15. However, no approval was given to chop down the trees at that location.
 
Residents living in the area were horrified to find only stumps left of what were once magnificent trees at the site.
 
“I enjoy taking my dogs for walks along that stretch every weekend,” said expatriate Mary Hopkins-Gollier.
 
“Those trees were the best thing about that place. I was shocked that they were all gone,” she said, adding that the city lost a bit of its soul without those grand trees.
 
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