THE newly landscaped area in the vicinity of the Klinik Kesihatan Jalan Perak is reported to have ‘missing plants’.
Batu Lancang assemblyman Ong Ah Teong expressed his dismay after learning that the flowering plants, Vinca Rosea, have been stolen from the garden off Jalan Perak/Jalan Free School.
“Forty stalks of Vinca Rosea have been stolen from the park over here, and the estimated loss is about RM1,500,” said Ong during a press conference today.
“Earlier, I proposed to the local council (Penang Island City Council) to come up with a park here which was then approved by them with an allocation of RM23,000.
“This park is actually the first phase of the beautification project undertaken by the council for the Batu Lancang constituency.
“The remaining two phases will be carried out at various places within the neighbourhood of Batu Lancang,” he added.
According to Ong, the theft could have possibly occurred on June 4 and he is on the lookout for the thief.
“The landscaping project, which commenced on April 24, was completed on May 9. Now, after about one month, some of the plants have been stolen.
“On June 4, I was here to take pictures of the blooming plants and when my personal assistant went the next day to take more pictures, the plants were gone.
“We have lodged a police report.
“So, if there is anyone out there who had seen the culprit and has captured it on camera or video stealing the plants, please forward it to us. We will reward them with RM1,000,” said Ong.
Ong said he has also appealed to the MBPP’s Engineering Department to place CCTV at nearby the park.
“The CCTV (closed-circuit television) is not merely to be for the surveillance of the plants but also to monitor the traffic at Jalan Perak which is indeed a busy road,” he said.
Story & Pix by Tanushalini Moroter