PUTRAJAYA: The task force on urban tree management will hold its first meeting this month, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
"Of course, arborists and (experts from) FRIM (the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia) will be part of the team."The date of the meeting, however, has yet to be set," she told reporters after attending the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) sigining ceremony between Putrajaya Corporation and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) today.
Meanwhile, she said, she welcomed Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming's call for all local authorities to have their own arborists in ensuring better tree care in the municipalities.
DBKL is among the local governments in Malaysia that has in-house arborists, in addition to outsourcing the job.
It is learnt that the members' appointment letter for the task force led by DBKL, will be issued soon.
Representatives from several affected residents' groups are also expected to be part of the team.
The task force was formed following a series of uprooted tree incidents during heavy rains in the capital city, including on Jalan Sultan Ismail which claimed the life of a 47-year-old motorist and injured another driver on May 7.