Gunung Pulai Official Re-Opening

KULAI: The Gunung Pulai Forest Reserve, which was closed down some 15 years ago following a tragedy that saw the loss of five lives, has finally reopened to the public with an early warning system installed for the safety of visitors.

Johor Education, Information, Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development executive committee chairman Datuk Md Jais Sarday said the forest reserve was thoroughly inspected with safety measures in placed before its doors were reopened.

He added, however, only the lowest level of the area is accessible to the public while level two and level three were still being monitored.

“We have three officers from the Forestry Department on duty here daily to ensure visitors abide by the rules and regulations as well as to monitor the safety of the public,” he told reporters after launching the reopening ceremony here on Tuesday.

  The official reopening ceremony was also in conjunction with the International Forest Day 2016 state-level celebrations here.

In Dec 2001, the Gunung Pulai Forest Reserve was ordered shut following a landslide incident that took the lives of five and destroyed four homes at Kampung Sri Gunung Pulai here.

Source: www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/09/06/gunung-pulai-forest-reserve-reopens-with-better-safety-measures/

Malay Version

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KULAI: Kerajaan negeri yakin pembukaan semula Hutan Lipur Gunung Pulai 1, dekat sini, selepas ditutup hampir 15 tahun sejak Disember 2001, mampu merancakkan kembali pertumbuhan ekonomi setempat. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pendidikan, Penerangan, Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Johor, Datuk Md Jais Sarday, berkata kawasan rekreasi itu yang dibangunkan semula dengan kos hampir RM700,000 bukan sahaja mampu menarik kehadiran lebih ramai pengunjung dari dalam dan luar negara, malah perlu dimanfaatkan oleh penduduk kampung. “Selain menempatkan Pejabat Penguat Kuasa Jabatan Perhutanan Johor, kemudahan lain yang dibina untuk keselesaan pengunjung ialah pondok rehat dan tandas serta dilengkapi sistem amaran awal. “Dengan beroperasi semula hutan lipur ini, kita percaya ia akan kembali menjadi tarikan ramai dan peluang ini seharusnya digunakan penduduk setempat untuk menambah pendapatan masing-masing. Misalnya mereka boleh membuka restoran, kedai menjual cenderamata atau menjadi pemandu pelancong. “Pada masa sama, kerajaan negeri amat berharap pengunjung akan sentiasa menjaga kemudahan yang disediakan dan tidak membuang sampah merata-rata,” katanya. Beliau yang mewakili Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin berkata demikian pada sidang media selepas merasmikan Pembukaan Semula Hutan Lipur Gunung Pulai 1 sempena sambutan Hari Hutan Antarabangsa Peringkat Negeri Johor di sini, hari ini. Hutan lipur itu ditutup pada 26 Disember 2011 atas arahan Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) berikutan tragedi banjir lumpur di kawasan rekreasi berkenaan sehingga mengorbankan lima orang, selain empat rumah turut musnah dihanyutkan air deras di Kampung Sri Gunung Pulai, dekat sini.

Selanjutnya di : http://www.bharian.com.my/node/190264