KOTA KINABALU: A resident has claimed that five years after the City Hall promised to look into the need to improve a jungle track at Signal Hill, it remains in a deplorable condition.
Ole Sonne, who has resided at Signal Hill for more than 20 years, raised the matter up through The Borneo Post again after his request was published in the newspaper on September 29, 2012, but nothing was done to repair the track.
“I first brought this to the attention of City Hall in February 2008 and received a reply from the then Kota Kinabalu Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim dated March 5, 2008, stating that upgrade would be done in the very near future. Five years later and nothing done,” said Sonne.
He said he had written another letter after the matter was highlighted in The Borneo Post in September 2012, following which he received a copy of a letter from current Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir dated December 19, 2012 and addressed to the Ketua Penolong Setiausaha, Bahagian Pengurusan dan Kewangan requesting for funds to repair the jungle track.
However, no action has been taken until today.
Sonne said the track was being used daily by many residents and tourists, but the condition remained poor.
“One section is so bad that people have to pull themselves up or down with a rope. This is no joke!” stressed Sonne.
“I find it deplorable that the relevant authorities continue to ignore this jungle track, more so when Kota Kinabalu is being promoted as tourist friendly.”
According to Sonne, the mentioned track which leads to the famous Observation Tower had been partially damaged following a landslide in 2008.
He had since then written numerous letters to City Hall, some of which were not replied, while those that got replied were followed with no action.
An environmentalist, Dr CY Vun, had also highlighted the matter in The Borneo Post on September 13, 2012, urging City Hall as well as the then Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yee Moh Chai and the Sabah Tourism Board to look into the restoration of the track.
Vun had highlighted the historical significance and tourism appeal of the city’s oldest jungle track and how throngs of people, including the elderly residents of Signal Hill and tourists alike, used the track on a daily basis.
He also questioned as to why repair works were not carried out despite numerous calls from the city folk to do so, adding that maintenance of the track had long been ignored by the relevant authorities.
Both Vun and Sonne had pointed out that the track got slippery during the rainy season and posed danger to its users.
“To be honest, I am appalled by the lackadaisical and lethargic attitude shown by City Hall and others involved in this matter, as my efforts have so far been futile,” lamented Sonne.
Despite his efforts, trying to get the authority to do something about the track seemed in vain, Sonne still hopes that the jungle track will be repaired soon, before anything untoward happens.
