State govt remains committed to preserving, conserving Selangor heritage, says exco

BANTING, Sept 16 — The Selangor government remains committed to preserving and conserving its heritage, further driving state tourism.

State Housing and Culture Committee chairman Borhan Aman Shah said it serves as a measure to ensure the state heritage treasures remain intact to be enjoyed by future generations.

He said as part of the effort to realise the agenda, the state will gazette several historical buildings and sites such as Istana Bandar, the National Leprosy Centre and a disused tin dredger in Dengkil, among others.

“Heritage assets such as Istana Bandar are essential tourism products of the state. Our application to restore the old palace has been approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac).

“The conservation process (including damage assessment and the preparation of the Conservation Management Plan — CMP) will take about three to four years,” he said.

He said this after the closing ceremony of the Merdeka Heritage Trail carnival at Istana Bandar, Jugra, here, today. Motac deputy secretary-general (Culture) Mohd Yusri Mohd Yusoff also attended the event.

Meanwhile, speaking at the ceremony, Mohd Yusri said Motac views the preservation and conservation of heritage buildings seriously.

“Motac has approved the application for conservation, renovation and upgrading works under the Tourism and Culture Empowerment and Heritage Sector 2022 allocation amounting to RM350,000 for Istana Bandar.

“Motac has also channelled RM420,000 for damage assessment and the preparation of CMP for the palace,” he said.

At the event, Borhan also launched ‘Pemetaan Warisan Bandar-Bandar Diraja Di Malaysia’ (Mapping the Heritage of Royal Cities in Malaysia) book, a joint publication between the State Department of Heritage and the Centre for the Study of Built Environment in the Malay World, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor.

The book provides insights into aspects such as theoretical frameworks, typologies, components, elements, heritage characteristics and the myths surrounding these royal cities.

The nine royal cities are Klang in Selangor, Arau (Perlis), Kuala Kangsar (Perak), Seri Menanti (Negeri Sembilan), Pekan (Pahang), Anak Bukit (Kedah), Maharani (Muar), Chendering (Terengganu) and Kubang Kerian (Kelantan). — Bernama