KUALA LUMPUR: The Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) is in talks with the Public Works Department (JKR) to clarify tree maintenance responsibilities along federal and state roads after a court ruling placed the duty on local authorities.
Deputy Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu stated that the ministry’s Local Government Department has BP1 (Butiran Projek 1) funds, but these are restricted to socio-economic, infrastructure, public amenities, and safety-related projects.
“The infrastructure scope includes road construction and upgrades within local authority areas, and the ministry is collaborating with JKR to refine this matter,” she said.
She added that local authorities are encouraged to seek funding from annual road maintenance allocations, particularly through the Malaysian Road Records Information System (MARRIS).
Aiman Athirah was responding to a supplementary question from Syahredzan Johan (PH–Bangi) regarding KPKT’s efforts to secure additional funding for tree maintenance following the court ruling.
On March 19, the Putrajaya Court of Appeal ruled that the Seremban City Council must compensate a motorcyclist RM216,949 for injuries caused by a falling tree on Seremban Federal Road seven years ago.
KPKT is adopting an inclusive approach to prevent similar incidents, including regular tree inspections and ensuring each local authority has at least one certified arborist.
Integrated cooperation between local authorities and state or district JKR through action committees is crucial to addressing tree-related issues systematically. – Bernama