SABAK BERNAM, Aug 20 — The Sabak Bernam District Council (MDSB) must meet several criteria, including controlling more than 50 per cent of residential housing, to be upgraded to a municipal council, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said the local authority is the only one in the state that is still a district council.
Amirudin said for MDSB to achieve municipality status, it must fulfil criteria set by the state government and the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT).
“The challenge for Sabak Bernam is that it has a large rural area. The district has not yet reached a level where it can support local council operations and monitoring, and it may fall outside KPKT’s scope.
“If it does (fall outside the KPKT’s scope), it means the district’s revenue and reserves are relatively low, so the state government should look into ways to boost the district, including through the Sabak Bernam Development Area,” he told a press conference after the officiation of the Publicity and Public Participation Programme for the Local Draft Plan of the Sabak Bernam District Council (Replacement) 2035 here today.
Selangor has 12 local authorities, of which four are city councils, seven are municipal councils, and one a district council, which is MDSB.
Amirudin said the proposed Selangor Rail Project, aimed at linking Northern Selangor with the Klang Valley, will be unveiled with the state’s Budget 2025.
“I will announce in the budget what our next steps are so we can realise the project,” he said.
Amirudin said the draft plan contains five cores, with 17 development strategies and 176 development recommendations in form of projects, programmes, controls and management to drive Sabak Bernam’s progress.
In addition, six key development initiatives have been drawn up, covering agriculture and fisheries, economy and tourism, and social and community empowerment, which are expected to bring positive impact to the district.
— Bernama
