Before: Majestic trees provide shade for weary pedestrians next to the concrete jungle that is Komtar Photo by a concerned George Town resident
After: Going, going… and gone before you know it
They just can’t stand the sight of any greenery.
This was the scene at 3.30pm today outside Komtar, where about half a dozen trees lay mutilated while around them a crane and a bull-dozer snorted and grunted.
From what I understand, even simple tree pruning – let alone hacking and chopping – requires prior approval from the Penang Municipal Council. And from what I hear, an application was received by the Council last week, but before it could be approved… well, you can see what has happened.
Can the council and the state government confirm if they had given approval for the tree-cutting at their door-step?