The Phnom Penh Municipality has allocated about $600,000 for the development of public gardens and the installation of lampposts on roads leading into the capital over the course of this year, officials said on Tuesday.
Of that figure, $500,000 will be spent on the lampposts on all the main roads into the city and the remainder on the gardens, Municipal Governor Kep Chuktema said. “All main streets leading to Phnom Penh must be lit even at night because we cannot let our city be dark,” he said, adding that the city needs to be visually impressive to visitors.
“Particularly, I need Phnom Penh residents and other Cambodian people to see new, nice gardens with nice flowers because I’ve noticed an increasing number of tourists are visiting our city,” he said. “We need to change everything to improve the beauty of the city,” he added.
Lampposts have been installed along National Road 5 and they will also soon be installed along National Road 2, he said.
Sam Samuth, municipal gardens bureau chief, said flowers have already been planted this year at the Choam Chao roundabout on National Road 4 in Dangkao district and at a garden near Olympic Stadium along Monireth Boulevard.
“Previously those gardens were covered only with grass,” he said.
Public land along Sisowath Quay will be renovated and have flowers planted on it in the near future, he said. A fountain in Wat Botum park near the Royal Palace is also slated to be renovated, while flowers will be planted at a public garden near Neang Kong Hing roundabout near Olympic Stadium.
Kep Chuktema said $60,000 of the municipality’s funds will be spent on renovating the garden and fountain in front of Hotel Le Royal.
“It looks very nice right now because we also installed multiple lamps to make the water come out multi-colored,” he said.
