It was learnt that the cost of each lamp post, including installation, came to about the price of a low-cost house then.

The lamps were placed so close to each other until one would wonder if the economy was so good at that time.

The state government justified the project by saying that it was proper to have such lamp posts along the road, which is the main road coming in and out of the city.

I was a bit suspicious about the safety of the lamp posts, which appeared to be quite heavy on top.

I based my judgment on the weight of the big lamps fastened to two thin decorative arms jutting out from a single pole.

On Tuesday, as a result of wear and tear, some of the lampposts collapsed when a thunderstorm wreaked havoc in the city.

It was fortunate that there were no casualties in the incident. Nine out of the 88 decorative lamp posts could not withstand the test of nature.

The council decided to remove all of them for safety reasons and replace them with new lamp posts which would have better endurance against the weather.

What was supposed to be a project of good intent had turned out to be a disaster at the expense of taxpayers.

If the money had been used to build 88 low-cost houses, I believe the houses would still be standing unless it was built with shoddy workmanship.

I am also sure that the poor houseowners would be a grateful lot now.

In the end, the decorative lamp post project was turned into a subject of criticism by the opposition.

Ten years ago, then Skudai assemblyman Dr Boo Cheng Hau had also questioned the council about the clumsy lamp posts and whether safety guidelines were followed in its installation.

It is not known if the new lamp posts will cost more or be any safer.

In 2005, the infamous Sungai Segget, one of the most polluted rivers in Johor, was completely covered under a city beautification project called the "Segget Walk" at a cost of RM6 million.

This was another project of good intent. What was once an eyesore has been replaced with fountains, greens and booths for petty traders.

What a delight for city folk!

However, this was just a case of sweeping problems under the carpet as what lies beneath Segget Walk is still a river choked with sludge, solid waste and thick moss growing on the entire concrete structure.

I am sure that there are also "creepy residents" lurking under the walk. Snakes, crocodiles and other creatures would have made the place its habitat.

Recently, there was a plan to uncover the river and remove parts of Segget Walk.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, during his visit to Johor Baru last month, announced a RM800 million allocation to transform the walk into a tourist attraction with river boats cruising like the ones in Sungai Melaka.

This was an interesting idea and I wonder why it had never crossed the minds of the town planners when the Segget Walk idea was first mooted.

Millions were spent to sweep a problem under a carp with the construction of the Segget Walk.

Now, hundreds of millions are to be spent again to remove the "concrete carpet" over the river.

Is this a case of poor town planning?

These are just two examples of the many infrastructure projects which were not well-planned, resulting in a wastage of public funds.