IPOH: Avid Bukit Kledang hikers are shocked with an annual pass requirement to exercise in the area as announced by the Perak Forestry Department recently.
Since the existence of the popular hiking and walking trail for decades, this is the first time the department has come up with a fee - RM200 annually - for adults wishing to hike.
Businessman Mohd Ali Abdul Mutalib, 50, who has come at least three to four times a week for the past 18 years, said the imposing a fee was ridiculous.
“Hikers are not here to steal timber, meranti or cengal. We are here to keep fit and take care of our health.
“Hikers are the ones volunteering and keeping the place clean, and taking initiative to set up facilities here.
“The department should scrap this idea of collecting ‘toll’ from the public,” he said when met at the site Sunday (June 5).
A petition drive initiated by Jelapang assemblyman Cheah Poh Hian at the entrance of the hill garnered over 500 signatures in less than an hour.
He targeted over 1,200 signatures before handing over a memorandum to Perak Mentri Besar and the department.
A notice posted on the Perak Forestry Department’s website said visitors entering Bukit Kledang and the Kledang Saiong Forests for daily recreational activities from July onwards would need to apply for an annual pass.
The rates of the pass are different for citizens and non-citizens.
For citizens, those below the age of 18 would need to pay RM100, adults (RM200) and senior citizens (RM10).
As for non-citizens, the charges are RM400 for those below 18, and RM800 for adults.
There would also be a RM20 processing fee for all categories.
In the notice, it was also stated that based on a survey conducted by the department, 50% of respondents agreed with the payment rate.
Standing 800m tall, Bukit Kledang is part of the Kledang-Saiong forest reserve and is popular due to its close proximity to the city.
Noted for its wild nepenthes (pitcher plants), people of all ages come to exercise, hike, run and cycle in the forest every day.
The hill also has an “exercise corner” that offers visitors an unobstructed view of the surroundings at 350m.
Another hiker V. Ramasamy, 62, said his blood pressure had dropped tremendously since he started exercising at the hill daily two years ago.
He said the hill was a natural landscape allowing an avenue for people to keep fit.
“Most hikers are the ones cleaning the area, and the department wants to charge us.
“I am not paying even RM1 to the department for exercising and keeping fit,” said the retiree.
Housewife Lee Sock Kuan, 37, said she comes here often, especially during the weekends with her two young children.
“This fee is a burden to people, especially those not working.
“The government should be happy that so many people are health conscious, and come here to exercise, instead of imposing a fee,” she added.
Cheah said he does not understand the rationale of the fee.
He said people should be educated on the importance of safety, instead of imposing a fee that does not help in any manner.
“Maybe the right way is for them (hikers) to provide details to the nearest police station in case of any emergencies, and not to charge people money,” he added.
Batu Gajah MP V. Sivakumar said he was in the dark as to how the department conducted the survey.
“Every person coming here for exercise, heads straight to the booth signing the petition.
“Not even one person has come up to us to say that they agree with the fee implementation.
“Majority of them are daily hikers and walkers, and they are shocked and angry with the announcement,” he said.
Efforts are being made to contact the department’s director.
