Mimaland was a famous recreation park in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. It was opened on 1975. In 1994 the park was closed due to a dangerous landslide.
THE once popular Mimaland Recreation Park in Gombak, Selangor, is asorry sight in a dire state of abandonment. It has been like this forthe last 15 years, after it ceased operation in 1993.
The recreation park used to be a popular premier outing destinationfor families in the Klang Valley. In ruins: The rundown office of theformer recreation park.
After it was closed, many people had hoped that it would berenovated and reopened as the place was a convenient site for picnics,being not too far from the city and yet having a raw naturalenvironment, with plenty of trees and plants and a lake for swimming,fishing and boating.
The wish for its rejuvenation may not materialise in the foreseeablefuture as the landowner Magnum Corporation Bhd has no plan to reviveand redevelop it.
According to Magnum spokesman Cheah Ho Wee Hock, there is no plan toredevelop the recreation park in the near future and the land is beingkept for the purpose of investment.
“It will be sold when the right price is offered,” Cheah told StarMetro during a telephone interview.
Until it is sold, Cheah said, the land would be left idle.
This is bad news for many who are hoping that the idle park, whichstarted operation in the 1970s, will be given a new lease of life.Glory days over: This road leading to Mimaland used to be quite busy.Now it is in a perpetual state of disrepair.
A StarMetro team visited the area about 25km from Kuala Lumpur,along the old Gombak-Bentong road, and found that it was undergoing anatural destruction process after left without maintenance since itsclosure in 1993.
The signs of decay caused by being abandoned for nearly 15 years is evident.
The arch that used to hold a welcome signboard is in deplorablestate with overgrown creepers. The wooden shops near the arch are indisrepair and deserted.
A road leading to the park is covered with grass and undergrowth and also damaged.
Barricade in the form of hoarding have been placed at the entrancewhere the remnant of the office structure can be seen from a distance.
A solitary security guard was stationed bear the entrance to preventtrespassing and encroachment by unauthorised people. No longer in use:This bus stop used to be crowded with people on weekends at Mimaland inBatu 11, Gombak.
The lookout towers, the office, bus stops and pillars have been left to rot, a sad reminder of the lost wonder.
It is also learnt that two security personnel are assignedround-the-clock duty to prevent unauthorised people and vehicles fromentering.
However, when StarMetro visited the area, some people were seen fishing in the lake.
It is also learnt that some people had also gone there for camping.
Some nearby villagers also claim that wild animals, includingtigers, have been spotted in the green forest with their pet dogs andcats failing prey.
In the past, the park had the country's first water-slides, aPre-historic Kingdom featuring replicas of dinosaurs and relatedcreatures of that era, a flower nursery, chalets built on stilts(called Bagan), a lake for boating and fishing, and other attractions.
The rundown buildings and chalets are only mere reminder of gloriouspast of this premier recreation centre, when the city folks used toenjoy camping or staying at the cosy water front chalets with theirfamily members.
Villager Mohd Yusof Sarman, 52, who was born and lived in the areasince, said that some people had claimed that they had seen a tiger atMimaland although he had not seen it himself.
“When Mimaland was operating, we had more income from doing business with the visitors and tourists,” he said.
“I used to sell sugar cane water, Malay cakes, nasi lemak whenMimaland was operating but had to stop business after the park wasclosed,” Yusof said.
He said that the village had become very quiet since then.
Dasimah Abdul Hamed, 48, who has been staying there for 34 years,recalled that the roads were very busy when Mimaland was in operation,the safety of the village children was then a prime concern.
“I also used to make quite a bit of money from a foodstall nearby then. Now, business is slow and so is the traffic,” she said.
Normalah Baharim, 20, who remembered her happy childhood days, saidthat she would spend all her free time at Mimaland as her father wasworking there.
“Because I love the park so much, I kept a head of a hippopotamusoutside my house to remember my sweet old days,” Normalah said.
“I used to remember playing at the playground, staying in the chalets and hotels for free as my father works there,” she said
The Kampung Batu 11 lass said those were the best moments of her childhood and many of her friends envied her for that.
The Mimaland was opened in 1975 and ceased operation about 15 years ago following some unresolved plans for expansion.
The natural setting of the park makes it a very ideal naturalholiday resort. It is certainly regrettable that such a beautifulnatural recreation park should be left in such a dismal and dreadfulcondition.
Perhaps, some visionary entrepreneur should consider buying theplace and redevelop it into a natural country resort, offeringrecreational activities and weekend conferences and retreats.
It is also a good place for setting up an international tertiary educational centre for environmental studies.
发表于 12-8-2009 10:11 PM
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