RM700,000 worth of plants damaged during Merdeka Day parade

 

Kuala Lumpur mayor Mahadi Che Ngah says the plants were damaged by those who attended the parade. (DBKL pic)

PETALING JAYA: Nearly RM700,000 worth of plants were damaged at Wednesday’s Merdeka Day parade, says Kuala Lumpur mayor Mahadi Che Ngah.

He said the plants, which were used to decorate Dataran Merdeka and other areas where the parade was held, might have been damaged by the people who flocked to attend the parade.

Apart from the damaged plants, he said the 100,000-strong crowd also littered the area with items such as bottled drinks.

Among the areas were Jalan Raja, Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Tun Perak.

“We are looking for ways to manage such issues. It is a challenge we have to deal with,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

“This is a lesson for DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) and we will hold a post-mortem meeting next week.

“From there, we will come up with an action plan if Dataran Merdeka hosts other similar events.”

Mahadi was speaking to the media after hosting DBKL’s media appreciation dinner at a hotel in the city.

After the Merdeka Day celebration on Wednesday, DBKL posted a video and photos on its Facebook page that showed the trampled decorative plants.

The photos also showed a large amount of litter on the streets after the parade ended. - FMT