KLANG: Klang will soon become a city and the 20th in Malaysia, according to Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming.
This follows the government's decision to upgrade the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) to the Klang City Council.
Nga said that the Cabinet made this decision yesterday, and Selangor will now have a fourth city in addition to Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, and Subang Jaya.
According to him, the decision was made because Klang had a population of more than 500,000 people and MPK had an annual income of over RM100 million from sustainable sources.
The 133-year-old town had met all the criteria needed to attain city status, he said at a gathering hosted by the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) today.
The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah will announce the day on which Klang will formally become a city, Nga said.
The minister also disclosed a number of improvements that would be made and the funds set aside for them.
He said RM10 million will be set aside for the development of the Klang City Council.
The Selangor government will inject a special allocation of RM5 million separately into the new city council.
"Our ministry has also requested a special allocation of RM24.6 million from the Works Ministry to upgrade the roads here. This will be discussed after the state election," he said.
Last week, Nga claimed that there are nine cities nationwide that are recognised as royal cities, including the royal city of Klang.
The other recognised royal cities include Arau in Perlis, Anak Bukit in Kedah, Kuala Kangsar in Perak, Seri Menanti in Negeri Sembilan, Muar in Johor, Al-Muhammadi Kubang Kerian in Kelantan, Kuala Terengganu in Terengganu, and Pekan in Pahang.
Nga said the ministry, under the Town and Country Planning Department (PLAN Malaysia), has the Royal City Planning and Development Guidelines (GPP), which were approved during the Cabinet meeting on May 17.
It aims to preserve the identity of royal cities as emblems of Malaysia's sovereignty and increase their potential as tourist attractions through local economic and cultural development.