Arch to go if it is unsafe, says Ng
TUESDAY MAY 18, 2010 (THE STAR)Arch to go if it is unsafe, says Ng
By CHRISTINA CHIN
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GEORGE TOWN: The Botanic Gardens concrete arch will be demolished if it is unsafe, says Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
She said the contractor would submit a report on the alleged tilting of the arch by end of the week.
"I have directed the contractor to ascertain whether the arch is indeed tilting and whether the structure will still be safe 20 years from now."
"If the report states that the structure is safe, what happens next will depend on the proposal of the Friends of Penang Botanic Gardens Society," she told a press conference after meeting with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to get their views on the garden's expansion project yesterday.
She said the society was appointed to represent the Penang Heritage Trust, Malaysian Nature Society, Social Economic and Research Institute and the public in coming up with a proposal for the project.
Dr Ng said they also discussed about enhancing the Bamboosetum and Eco-Stream Walk.
"I am now waiting for the NGOs' feedback," she said.
The society's representative Dr Liew Kon Wui said the NGOs would have to work within various constraints to "correct what went wrong."
Even if the arch was safe, he said the NGOs wanted it demolished.
"We hope to come up with a proposal to bring down the arch without causing the ministry to incur too much cost," he said.
A press report on May 15 said the ministry ordered a halt to the construction work of two arches following reports that one of them appeared to be tilting.
The arches are part of a RM7mil project to beautify the gardens.
On a separate matter, Dr Ng said boutique homestay hotels that cater to a luxury, niche market would be Malaysia's newest tourism product.
"We don't want new buildings. We want restored historical buildings where guests feel at home and pampered," she said.
The boutique homestay hotels would be high-end and exclusive, she added.
"The quality of service must also be exemplary.
"We want to attract tourists who stay longer and who have higher spending power," she told reporters after presenting Clove Hall owner Christopher Ong with Malaysia's First Boutique Homestay Hotel certificate.
Dr Ng said Clove Hall would be a benchmark for other such hotels as it was the only Malaysian hotel to make the 2010 Conde Nast Hot List of New Places to Stay.
Ong, whose Galle Fort Hotel in Sri Lanka was awarded the Unesco conservation award, said RM4mil was invested to restore Clove Hall to its former glory.
"Restoration of this six-bedroom colonial bungalow took 18 months.
"It was opened in September last year," he said. Among hoteliers, making the Conde Nast list is akin to winning an Oscar in Hollywood, he added.
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