MAN’S VEGETABLE PLOT RILES NEIGHBOURS
RESIDENTS of Lintang Permai in Taman Brown, Gelugor, George Town, are unhappy because one of their neighbours has been planting vegetables on a plot of state land in front of his house.
A resident, who declined to be named, told Actionline that the man cleared the land and started planting vegetables when he moved in two years ago.
She claimed that he was farming for commercial purposes and that, as a result, there were more rodents and flies in the area.
“I believe he is using pig waste to fertilise the vegetable patch, which has grown from a small patch to take over the entire area.
“He has also put up containers on the side of the road as barriers, making it difficult for us to pass through the road.
“We have complained to the authorities numerous times, but no action has been taken against the man.”
She also claimed that the man had threatened one of the residents who had lodged a complaint with the authorities.
ACTIONLINE:
A Penang Island City Council spokesman said the council found that the man had merely been using a small patch of empty land opposite his house.
“He is using only about 10 sq m of land. From our earlier checks, we found no cause for concern as the man had tended to the plot carefully and was using safe fertiliser.
“The vegetables are for his own consumption,” he said, adding that the plot of land was about the size of a parking lot.
He said the council would send officers to check on claims that the man had been fertilising the vegetable patch with pig manure and that there were now more rodents in the area.