By Siti Rohaizah Zainal
PETALING JAYA, Feb 6 — Petaling Jaya’s city centre of Section 52 is set to be transformed into an urban hub with its own unique characters by next year.
Mayor Mohamad Zahri Samingon said the plan is set to elevate Petaling Jaya into a distinctive city comparable to other metropolises.
“This has been planned since last year. Now, the matter is at the proposal stage, with the idea to be presented to the relevant quarters.
“The process is still long as it needs to be reviewed and requires the approval of various parties. We will set a timeline before implementation takes place next year,” he said after his swearing-in ceremony as the new mayor yesterday.
The former Selangor deputy state secretary (management) replaces Mohd Azhan Md Amir, who has been appointed as deputy secretary general (management and development) at the Higher Education Ministry.
Section 52 is a city centre home to some of the key commercial activities in Petaling Jaya, including, businesses, restaurants, banking, clinics, as well as government and private agencies and offices.
Separately, Zahri said the city council will be holding meeting sessions with Petaling Jaya residents to gather feedback as part of efforts to resolve longstanding and arising issues.
This is in line with the objective to elevate the city on par with other metropolises.
“We want to make Petaling Jaya a unique hub with its own distinct identity, comparable to other metropolises. However, we also need to address issues raised by the community.
“I will personally go to the ground with councillors and community leaders to meet with local residents. If there are any complaints, it means we are not at our best yet.
“Take the issue of waste, for example. We need to know what the root of the problem is. That is why we must get the councillors and officers on the ground.
“Having said that, we need everyone’s cooperation to resolve these issues, including the residents,” he said.
Meanwhile, over 500 programmes and projects being implemented by MBPJ are aligned with the First Selangor Plan (RS-1) and Malaysia Madani concept.
“A total of 66 programmes are carried out under RS-1’s first strategic theme of strengthening the economy, 58 under the second thrust of social inclusivity and people’s well-being, 108 under the third thrust of driving environmental sustainability, and 254 under the final thrust of good and effective governance.
“We have also succeeded in implementing 87.7 per cent of the measures outlined in the Petaling Jaya Smart Sustainable and Resilient 2030 (PJSSR 2030) last year and are targeting 90 per cent completion this year,” Zahri said.
