THE Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has spruced up part of the Pulau Tikus market and changed all the fluorescent lighting throughout the market to LED lighting.
Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit and MBPP councillor Connie Tan were at the market today to check on the newly completed landscape area near the public toilet and also the LED lights.
“The area beside the public toilet was messy. We had received complaints from the traders that some people threw cigarette butts and rubbish there. So, I proposed to MBPP to cover up the area but they counter proposed to landscape it by planting some plants.
“We’ll continue to beautify the market and do away with the stereotypes. We want to add more greens. We’ll put up some decorations in Pulau Tikus before Chinese New Year to lift up the spirits,” Lee said.
He added that whatever decision Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin would announce soon to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, he hoped the livelihood of the traders would be taken into consideration.
Tan said the small landscape project at the marketplace, in which plants like Raphis excelsa, Acalypha wilkesiana and fern were planted, cost RM568. It was completed on Jan 8.
She added that MBPP had replaced the old lights with a total of 151 units of LED lights between Dec 14 to 19, costing RM16,000.
“The electricity bill will be reduced by about 62% by using the cost-saving LED lights. They will bring down the annual electricity charges from RM15,000 to about RM5,800 per year,” Tan explained.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud