AFTER attaining its city status on Malaysia Day, the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) has swiftly rolled out initiatives in its quest to transform itself into a dynamic city.
Its newly-appointed mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud, who assumed the appointment on the same day, said a strategic direction document to making Seberang Perai a smart and sustainable city has been documented.
He said the document was a starting point in realising Seberang Perai to become a smart city by 2022.
He said the aim of transforming mainland to become a resilient, inclusive, green, competitive, smart and technology-driven city was in line with the Penang 2030 vision set forth by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in August last year.
“We have come out with short, medium and long-term goals to achieve from 18 programmes and six guidelines.
“The guidelines are to assist the local communities through incentives given for licences of food truck services, licences for car wash centres, development for B40 and M40 group and to achieve low carbon and smart city.
“All these are our efforts to spearhead Seberang Perai to become a better place,” he said at a press conference after attending the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony with seven strategic partners at MBSP tower in Bandar Perda today.
The signing ceremony was held to develop Seberang Perai to a better place.
The state government’s application for city status in Seberang Perai was approved by the Cabinet in May this year.
A grand ceremony took place at Dewan Milennium, Kepala Batas, on Malaysia Day on Sept 16 with the presence of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas to acknowledge the city status.
State Local Government, Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo was pleased with the achievement.
He said MBSP has to ensure the hawkers’ cleanliness be maintained up to the standard.
“Seventy percent of the food premises must achieve Grade A while the remaining should reach Grade B of cleanliness by next year,” he said, adding that MBSP has the authority to conduct checks on the premises.
Prior to the achievement, MBSP, formerly known as Seberang Perai Municipal Council or MPSP, was the largest municipality in the country.
It covers an administration area of 747.8sq km with a huge population of 946,200 in the country.
Penang Island City Council (MBPP) was officially declared city status in 2015.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis