Metro

Thursday January 1, 2009

Swan song for flower market

Story and photos by SALINA KHALID


FOUR years ago, when the flower market was first introduced in Shah Alam, it was billed as one of the attractions in the capital city.

With the combination of the soothing environment of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) park and the enchanting nurseries along Jalan Sungai Buloh, the market was expected to attract garden enthusiasts from near and far.

The flower market, located in front of the Kompleks PKNS in Persiaran Tasik, offers various flower species and gardening accessories amid the lush green ambience.

Filthy: Once a beautiful pond with carps and koi, it is now filled with dead leaves and rainwater.

Among the special features of the market are the tracks that wind around tall meranti trees and lead visitors to the various nurseries within the 2.5ha area.

Many have also come to the place for picnics with the family or to enjoy the entertainment and activities organised.

Yet over the years, like flowers that have wilted, the market has lost its attraction and the crowd is no more there.

Dangerous: An uprooted tree lying on top of one of the kiosks at the market.

StarMetro visited the place recently and found it in a dreadful and dismal state, almost abandoned and rotten to the core.

Flower pots, furniture and other garden equipment are scattered about in the kiosks abandoned by the previous owners. The kiosks are left to rot, with the walls and roof falling apart.

Instead of the chirping of birds that used to perch on the tree branches, it is the buzzing of mosquitoes that greet anyone passing by the winding tracks running through the lush greenery.

Past glory: A file picture of visitors admiring some of the flowers on sale at the Pasar Bunga Shah Alam when it first opened for business in 2004.

With the discarded flower pots and empty pools there, the place has become a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The pools and man-made water canals that were once filled with water and stocked with fish are now filled with dead leaves and rainwater.

At a first glance, many will think that the place is no longer operating.

However, despite its forsaken condition, some of the kiosks are still open and operating.

An eyesore: The owner of this kiosk has left some of the furniture behind to rot.

“Most people find it surprising that we are still operating here despite its terrible condition. But we have no where else to go and this is our source of income,’’ Norazmi Ibrahim said.

Norazmi is one of the few operators who has decided to continue operating at the market.

He said that only eight of the 14 original kiosks set up at the flower market were still operating.

All the kiosks are located at the main entrance of the premises, near the Kompleks PKNS.

Break time: (From left) Shukri Salleh, Rashid and Zulkifli enjoying their roti canai and teh tarik at the Flower Market in Shah Alam.

The operators have to do their own cleaning as the maintenance workers come only once in a while.

“It has become our daily routine to come in early in the morning and do our own gardening which also include sweeping and pulling out the weeds,” Norazmi said.

“It is not only a place to sell plants and flowers but also where we get some exercise in the morning. We are retirees and this is all that we have,” he said.

According to Norazmi, they usually come in at about 8am and start gardening and cleaning before taking a tea break at 11am. They call it a day at about 5pm before the place gets dark as electricity has been cut off in the area.

Another operator, Rashid Ahmad, said that safety is one of their main concerns.

The lack of maintenance has caused the trees to be uprooted and some have hit the kiosks.

Without electricity and a proper gate, the place is a good hideout for unhealthy activities, Vandalism and theft are also common here.

“Many of our potted plants go missing often. We try to prevent people from entering the place by closing the main gate but some sneak in after we have gone home in the evening,” Rashid said.

The flower market was previously managed by Pasar Bunga Shah Alam Sdn Bhd on behalf of the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA).

The initial concept of the market encompassed three elements - recreation, shopping and education.

It was introduced to cater to the needs of the Shah Alam residents who were encouraged by the previous state government and the MBSA to landscape and beautify their homes.

But now, the operators feel that they have been abandoned by the authorities after the project failed to meet their expectations.

There had been meetings and talks about relocating the flower market to a new site but nothing concrete has been decided so far.

Although the kiosk operators have attended several meeting with the local authorities, they are still in the dark about the future of their business.

“We have invested time, effort and our hard earned money into this place,” said Zulkifli Mohd Affandi, who is one of those still operating a stall at the market.

“Now we do not know where we are heading with business going slow. We are still paying instalments for our bank loans,” he said.

“We are hoping that the local authority will tell us what we should do,” Zulkifli said.

Hesaid most of them invested about RM50,000 each to start their business a few years ago.

He said they had attended several meetings and were served with several relocation notices by the MBSA.

The latest was issued in September 2008, informing them about the new location in Section 13, opposite the Shah Alam Bazarena, the Sunday open market near the Shah Alam Stadium.

“We were told that we would be relocated there but nothing has happened. There is no sign board or anything to indicate that the site is ready for us to move in,” Zulkifli said.

He said they were left in the dark and did not know whether they should prepare themselves for the relocation or stay put.

On whether they would prefer to remain at the current site or move to a new place, the traders unanimously said they will accept whatever decision made by the MBSA.

Zulkifli said that one of the main complaints received by the operators currently was on insufficient parking.

The current flower market is also tucked away in a nook and hidden from public view and hence not many people know about the market.

“The new proposed site is strategically located near the Giant hypermart and the Shah Alam Stadium and both have ample parking space,” Zulkifli said.

“Unfortunately, we have not received any information about relocating there,” he said.

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story

Source:

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Star Metro on Facebook Star Metro on Twitter