Johor govt begins heritage conservation programme

JOHOR BARU: The state government is embarking on a heritage conservation programme to turn Johor Baru into a living heritage city.
Housing and Local Government committee chairman Datuk Md Jais Sarday said every city should preserve its own identity and culture.
As an example, eight units of shophouses along Jalan Segget have been repainted to their original yellow colour to preserve their classic look.
He said this when launching the Clean zone & building conservation programme in conjunction with the 24th anniversary of the Johor Baru City Council at Legaran Segget today.
"We are in the process of making Johor Baru into a living heritage city," he said, adding that more buildings will be taking part in the building conservation programme.
Earlier, Johor Baru City mayor Amran A. Rahman said the conservation project, which costs about RM280,000, is a joint effort with Think City Sdn Bhd.
Managing director of Think City, Hamdan Abdul Majeed, said the next phase of the programme would target over 30 units of old buildings in the city area.
Commenting on the cleanliness of the city, Md Jais urged the public to change their attitude and respect enforcement personnel. People should not turn aggressive when they are issued with summonses for littering or breaking regulations.
Md Jais said he felt disappointed that people here like to show their anger towards the enforcement personnel who issue summonses.
"We need enforcement units to make everyone abide by the law," he said.
The Council had designated Stulang Laut as the first clean zone last year, while the second clean zone launched today is located within a 600m radius from the Johor Urban Transformation Centre (UTC), including Jalan Trus, Jalan Ungku Puan and Jalan Wong Ah Fook.