Seberang Prai attains city status
Penang will be the only state in Malaysia with all its Local Authorities (PBTs) elevated to city council status. Penang has two local authorities – the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) which obtained city council status in 2015, known as the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) which has now been upgraded. “There are 155 local authorities in Malaysia and 13 of them have city council status. MPSP will be the 14th to be upgraded to city council status and the first after the 14th general election,” said Penang Housing, Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo. the official announcement regarding MPSP’s status as a city council would be made after Hari Raya Aidilfitri once the paperwork was completed. “The state government will have to decide who will be the mayor for the Seberang Perai City Council after the announcement is made,” he added. (NST Online)

M’sia, S’pore sign supplemental pact on suspension of RTS Link Project
Malaysia and Singapore officially signed the supplemental agreement (SA) for suspension of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link Project until September 30 this year. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Malaysia would reimburse Singapore about RM2 million by July 31, 2019, as abortive costs incurred as a result of the six-month suspension. The project was initially scheduled for construction this year and expected to be completed by December 2024. The RTS Link project would cover 4km of rail linking Bukit Chagar (Johor Baru) and Woodlands ( Singapore), with the capacity to ferry 10,000 passengers per hour. Loke noted that the supplemental agreement would allow Malaysia some time to explore other affordable and sustainable solutions to address traffic congestion at the border. (Daily Express)

Industrial property seen stable, despite increase in overhang levels
The Malaysian industrial property market is still widely considered a stable segment and viable investment sector, despite registering a yearly increase in overhang levels. According to the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) in its Property Market Report 2018, the level of industrial property overhang increased 18% last year compared to 2017. However, the number of unsold units under construction decreased 11.4% to 812 units in 2018 from 916 units in the previous corresponding period. Despite the increase in overhang, the industrial property market is still arguably the most stable sub-sector. The Belt and Road Initiative is also having an impact on the industrial and logistics sector in South-East Asia, as new infrastructure fuels growth prospects across the sectors. (The Star Online)

Study on housing agency ready by end of June
The study to restructure the four national housing agencies including the Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) and Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) is expected to be ready by the end of June. Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Senator Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah said that through the study, the government would create a more complete housing system that enabled Malaysians to own a home. “What is important is that we get a data base on who have already owned a home… There is no coordination involving data base to be shared together beside the lack of coordination between the agencies to create a fairer purchasing of homes,” he said. He added that the system could also assist the B40 group to own a home as this group needed assistance and support to get a home. (Malay Mail)

3 workers hurt after Gombak Integrated Transport Terminal car park collapses
Three construction workers were injured after a multi-storey car park under construction at the Gombak Integrated Transport Terminal in Taman Melati collapsed early this morning. The three victims were trapped when the concrete building measuring 2,500 square feet at a construction site collapsed at around 1.13am. Two of the workers were rescued by their fellow workers while rescue operations were focused on of the trapped worker whose body was wedged between a collapsed beam. It was later reported that the three-storey parking lot had collapsed onto the worker’s quarters on the ground floor of the building where the three victims were located. (Malay Mail)