SHAH ALAM, Sept 8 — Kajang is expected to attain city status within one to 1.5 years, making it Selangor’s fifth city.
State executive councillor for local government Dato’ Ng Suee Lim said the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) was now preparing for the upgrade after meeting the 15 criteria set by the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT).
“Among them is population. If we want to become a city, the population cannot be less than 500,000, and Kajang now has 1.1 million residents, which is already above the target.
“In terms of revenue, it needs to be stable, and over the past three years, MPKj has recorded annual revenue of more than RM200 million,” he said when contacted by Media Selangor.
Ng said MPKj was also on track to meet the other criteria, including sustainability, infrastructure, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), education, ecotourism and heritage.
He said a proposal to upgrade MPKj’s status was expected to be tabled at the Selangor State Executive Council (MMKN) in October for consideration before the application was submitted to KPKT.
“After receiving MMKN’s approval, they will submit the application to KPKT and go through several subsequent stages.
“We expect that within one to 1.5 years, if there are no obstacles and everything follows the timeline, we can realise the dream of Kajang becoming Selangor’s fifth city,” he said.
Ng added that Kajang also had an advantage as an education hub, with public and private higher education institutions around Kajang and Bangi, in addition to having ecotourism areas and heritage attractions.
“Kajang has many universities, whether private or public, as well as ecotourism and heritage areas.
“Most of the 15 criteria set, including those related to services, are now on track towards city status,” he said.
