BUTTERWORTH: Penang MCA is upset with the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) after an awning which shaded a Chinese shrine by the roadside was ordered to be removed in Medan Melur Utara here.

Its organising secretary Dr Tan Chuan Hong said they were perplexed by the move as the awning put up by local residents did not cause traffic obstruction or inconvenience to the public.

“The locals set up the awning through donations. It provides shade for devotees who offer prayers to the deity housed in the shrine.

“Besides, the residents are taking good care of the cleanliness in the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, it was ordered to be taken down by MPSP,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Dr Tan urged the local authority to give approval for the awning at the site, adding that the Bagan MCA division would help residents to launch a donation drive to put up the structure again once the council had given the green light.

MPSP president Datuk Rozali Mohamud said those who wished to put up structures at public places must obtain prior approval from the relevant authorities.

He said MPSP first issued the residents a notice under Section 46 of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 to remove the structure on Dec 18.

“We moved in after finding out that the notice requirement was not complied on Dec 19.

“The residents had already taken down the structure themselves by then.

“There was also a shrine under the structure which was not touched by the enforcement team,” he said.

-The Star-