Putrajaya was settled during the reign of Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister of Malaysia for 24 years.
Sitting in a hot air balloon, as I was enjoying the view of the city 'Putrajaya' near the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur from the sky, a flock of birds soared beautifully above the city's skyscrapers. He was returning to his homes in the country's largest 'wet land' (wet land).
About 200 species of birds live in this wet land spread over 200 hectares. It is home to 1,800 species of land insects, 16 species of water and land animals, 22 species of reptiles and 16 species of mammals.
It is known that wet land or wet land is such a natural habitat, where most of the land is filled with water.
It cannot even be imagined that the place where animals like monkeys, otters, wild boars and muskrats (a species of cat found mainly in Africa) live, that place is just two kilometers away from the Prime Minister's Office of Malaysia. .
Outcome of former PM Mahathir Mohamad's thinking
This beautiful project of environment is a reflection of the thinking of Mahathir Mohammad. Mahathir Mohamad is one of the most influential politicians in Malaysian history.
It has been 64 years since Malaysia got independence and during this time Mahathir Mohamad was the Prime Minister of the country for 24 years. Although the reign of Mahathir Mohamad has been controversial, his 'aggressive' development plans turned his country into Asia's fastest growing economy in the 90s.
Most of the buildings in Malaysia are witness to this thinking of Mahathir Mohamad. The huge airport of Kuala Lumpur and the 452 meter high Petronas Twin Towers are examples of this.
By the way, Putrajaya is considered to be the most 'adventure project' of Mahathir Mohammad. This city is also considered the second capital of Malaysia.
Flights started from Kuala Lumpur airport in 1998. A year later, Putrajaya became the new administrative center of the Malaysian federal government.
The town of Putrajaya, 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur, was built after cutting down a forest full of rubber trees.
Although the capital of Malaysia is still Kuala Lumpur, but the administrative and judicial center of the country is Putrajaya, where many government offices of the country are present.
Situated between Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia's historic city of Malacca, Putrajaya is still out of sight of the world. And on my way to the airport, on my way to the airport, during my nearly dozen trips to Kuala Lumpur, like millions of tourists, I saw Putrajaya from the nearby expressway.
My curiosity to see this city finally compelled me to look at Putrajaya from the sky on foot and in a hot air balloon.
How is this city?
It does not disappoint the few tourists who go to see Putrajaya. The central part of Putrajaya is built in Islamic architecture. Skyscrapers are full of signs of billions.
The 'Iron Mosque' or Steel Mosque is a fine example of steel and glass architectural design. You would expect such buildings only in Tokyo or Beijing.
Similarly, Putrajaya Convention Center is also very unique. It is made in the style of a silver belt commemorating the Sultan of Malaysia.
Apart from the world's only Gulabi Patra Mosque, the city also houses a museum and the cleanest shopping center in Asia. 37 percent of the places in this city are kept for entertainment.
Mahathir Muhammad's purpose of settling Putrajaya was to allow creative inventions to flourish. Mahathir Muhammad wanted to make Putrajaya an eco-friendly city.
City department officials sitting at Putrajaya's command center collect huge amounts of digital data through CCTV cameras installed in every corner of the city.
According to Anna Ismail, communication director of Putrajaya Corporation, CCTV cameras very quickly transmit every problem in the city to the command center of the city, from where the relevant departments are activated to solve them.
From the traffic problem in the city to the weather of the city, monitoring is done from a single command center.
In the beginning, Putrajaya was built as a city for 3.5 lakh residents and 5 lakh travellers, which is a reflection of the culture of Malaysia.
But because of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya's population is growing less rapidly than expected. Even today the total population of this quiet city is only 1.2 lakhs.
During my dozens of trips to Asia, I have only seen such public places in Singapore where there are not many people. However, after seeing Putrajaya, my opinion changed.
The city center is situated amidst Putrajaya Lake. It has a water front of 38 km, which is largely covered by gardens, jogging tracks and cycle lanes.
The city of Putrajaya was settled 25 km south of Kuala Lumpur.
Eco friendly city
Putrajaya Botanical Garden has more than 700 species of tropical plants, which can be seen by riding a tram or renting a bicycle.
In addition, in addition to excellent hiking trails, there are excellent camping facilities in the nearby tropical forest.
Here one can have a 360-degree view of Putrajaya from the European-style Suzvina Hejuva Park.
The Agricultural Heritage Park of Putrajaya works to preserve and educate Malaysian agricultural practices, providing tourists with information on how to cultivate Malaysia's crops.
To save the environment from deteriorating, Putrajaya has adopted eco-friendly policies. There are 10 such orchards, where citizens can grow the fruits and vegetables they need. Bee facility is also available there. Water conservation schemes are also underway in the city.
During my visit to Putrajaya, I traveled in the silent electric buses of the city. After this rented an electric bike and got a view of the nearby garden from Patra Bridge.
Vavasan Garden is one of the 12 parks in the city. One of the eco-friendly policies in Putrajaya is to conserve rain water on government buildings.
In addition, the Cancer Institute here has won several awards for the Asian Clean Tourist City for its use of solar photovoltaic power.
Facility for growing fruits and vegetables is also available in Putrajaya.
Hariyali made the best city
According to Fazli Fazal, manager of 'Cafe Timonco' restaurant in Putrajaya, the city's lush green ambiance makes it the perfect place to stay. Fazal was 12 years old when his family moved from Sabang Jaya, Malaysia to Putrajaya. Putrajaya is a much quieter place as compared to Sabang Jaya.
Fazli Fazal says: "There are a lot of parks here. There are open spaces, which gives us a lot of peace."
Malaysia's government is relying on Putrajaya to revive the tourism industry after the Corona pandemic.
According to Ana Ismail, the city is trying to become an eco-friendly tourism hub and to establish itself as an 'urban center of birds', with everything from hudhud to dazzling sunbirds.
The city's administration is planning to increase the number of bird races in Putrajaya, where people compete to see as many birds as possible at a given time. Tourists can also take a bird's eye view of the Wetland Park, Botanical Garden and Nature Forest Park in Putrajaya.
About 200 species of birds are present in Putrajaya.
Best place for wildlife to thrive
Dr Sundari Rama Krishna of the Environment Protection Society Malaysia says that Putrajaya is the best place for wildlife to live and thrive. There are many clean and calm forests and lakes, where animals and plants can flourish.
She says that the last time she went to Putrajaya's wet land, she saw a lot of Kunj (water bird that flies in the winter in a line) and water pot. The artificial wetlands of Putrajaya look very real, which is very much liked by the birds.
Rama Krishna, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, says Putrajaya is a beautiful city with a clean climate, with lots of places to relax. There are beautiful buildings there.
Rama Krishna says she hopes that many more tourists will come here to see how Malaysia managed to populate it. Putrajaya is a very special place.
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