KUALA LUMPUR: About two decades ago, before it became a hub for the federal administrative centre with sleek modern designs that embrace Islamic architecture, Putrajaya was all but rubber estates and oil palm plantations.
Overcrowding and congestion in Kuala Lumpur were among the factors that saw Putrajaya being eyed to house the federal administration, which went back as far as the 1980s during the tenure of the country's fourth prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Development in the area, historically known as Prang Besar, took place in the late 1990s after the government acquired 4,581ha of land from Selangor.
The government had earlier negotiated with the Selangor government on the plan to establish another Federal Territory after the establishment of two other Federal Territories, namely Kuala Lumpur and Labuan.
Putrajaya is named after the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.
It is located in the Sepang district, Selangor.
Following the land purchase and the establishment of Putrajaya, Selangor is now surrounded by two Federal Territories within its borders — Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Construction of Putrajaya began in August 1995. It was then the country's and Southeast Asia's biggest project, at an estimated cost of US$8.1 billion.
With the establishment of Putrajaya, it was envisioned that the government would create a new city where government offices previously scattered in Kuala Lumpur would be systematically housed there as an efficient administrative hub.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) moved to Putrajaya in 1999, while Kuala Lumpur continues to be the country's capital city with the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and Kuala Lumpur Tower as the latest tourism attractions shortly after.
On Feb 1, 2001, Putrajaya was declared as a Federal Territory by the then prime minister Dr Mahathir.
Apart from administrative offices, Putrajaya was also developed as a garden city with man-made lakes, parks and botanical gardens that are open to the public.
It was reported that 38 per cent of the area in Putrajaya was reserved for natural landscapes.
Located 35km from the capital city, Putrajaya attracts daily visitors who are drawn to its green spaces, apart from notable annual events, such as the Putrajaya International Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta, Putrajaya Open Day, Putrajaya Carnival, Digital Putrajaya Exhibition and Conference in 2019, Merdeka Day celebration, Putrajaya Marathon, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and many more.
The Kuala Lumpur International Airport Transit, which was opened in 2002, provides fast and efficient transportation between Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.
The opening of the Mass Rapid Transit (Sungai Buloh-Putrajaya) by the middle of next year will further benefit a population of around two million people in Kwasa Damansara to Putrajaya with 10 interchange and connecting stations.
Putrajaya Sentral serves as a hub for buses, a train station on the Express Rail Link and other future transportation integration with the MRT Putrajaya Line, MRL East Coast Rail Link and the proposed Putrajaya Monorail in the future.
Resident Mahmud Jamaludin, 64, who has been living in Precint 16 in Putrajaya since 2000, said he used to take the early morning bus to Precint 8 to send his children to schools there.
"Precint 8 was the only place that had school facilities back then.
"The first government office that moved here was the PMO followed by other ministries in stages.
"Now, we have schools in all precints except Precint 15.
"There are also more hospitals, clinics, commercial areas, mosques and housing developments here, compared with how it was back then.
"As a result, we also have heavy traffic at times," said the retiree from Department of Statistics Malaysia.