My Paper
FRIDAY DECEMBER 4, 2009
BY DAWN TAY
OVER 10 years ago, planting and caring for a clump of fruit trees in Marsiling Rise was a grieving woman’s lifeline.
To battle the despair that set in when she lost her 20-year-old son to nose cancer,Madam Lee Moi made the 15-minute walk to a 100m-long stretch of grass next to blocks 116 and 117 daily for three years, to plant and tend to the saplings.
After that, the fruit trees came under the tender care of some residents of the two blocks, who took pride in maintaining the trees, which numbered around 18.
Now, these trees – such as neem, mango, jackfruit and soursop – face the axe from the Sembawang Town Council, because their planting constitutes “unauthorised planting on turf”.
They faced a similar threat six years ago but were given a reprieve when residents appealed to a Member of Parliament.
Unauthorised planting aside, the issue has resurfaced, as the town council has received complaints from residents, said its public relations manager, Ms Dorothy Cheung.
She added: “We’re also concerned about pest infestations and mosquito breeding.”
Madam Lee, 74, is in China on a two-month holiday and has not been told the news.
But her grandson, Mr Navin Anand, a 22-year-old law student, told my paper: “She’ll be very upset if she knows that the trees are due to be cut down. She put in a lot of effort to plant and tend to them.”
Last month, more than 20 residents from the two blocks petitioned the town council in a bid to save the trees, which they say also provide a haven for birds such as golden orioles and swifts.
One of the residents, retired doctor Praema Raghavan, said: “We asked the town council to cull only those trees that pose a threat to life or property. Most of these trees are well-maintained – we used to hire somebody to come in and take care of the area once a month.”
Following the petition, the town council is considering taking over the maintenance of some of the mature trees, and letting residents adopt some others, said Ms Cheung.
The move will please residents like guest relations officer Shantini Rajamani, 41, who uses flowers and fruit from the betel-nut plant outside her house for prayers.
She said: “Our family bought a ground-floor unit in one of the blocks in 2000, just so that wecould do gardening.”
But should the trees go, not all residents will be sorry. Housewife Mardziyah Nor, 50, said: “I’ve had wasps from the trees fly into my house. A disease which originated in the papaya tree also affected my roses and orchids.”
Last month, residents of a condominium in Bukit Timah also protested when the vegetation next to their estate was cleared to make way for an MRT site office.
The Land Transport Authority said that it would look into the matter.
dawnt@sph.com.sg
