Johor Sultan officiates declaration of the Iskandar Putri City Council

ISKANDAR PUTRI: Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar today officiated the declaration of the Iskandar Putri City Council (MBIP), the second such city council in the state.
The ceremony, held at Medini, here, also coincided with the sultan's birthday.
MBIP is upgraded from Johor Baru Central Municipal Council, and its history can be traced to a small town Skudai in 1953.
Datuk Adib Azhari Daud, former president of Johor Baru Central Municipal Council, is the first mayor of Iskandar Putri.
"The naming of Iskandar Putri can be traced to 1866 when Temenggung Daeng Ibrahim Iskandar moved from Teluk Belanga to Tanjung Putri, a place where he found a new administration centre,"
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said in his speech at the ceremony.
"New city with old name means it brings a new soul to a modern Johor."
He said the event brought double joy for Johor as it was held on the sultan's birthday.
Mohamed Khaled said he wanted the delivery system of the new city council to be on par with international standards.
Also present were Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Tan Sri Noh Omar also represented the Federal government and handed over the city council status document to Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
MBIP covers an area of 506.71sq km and encompasses Skudai, Gelang Patah, Kangkar Pulai, Tanjung Kupang and Tanjung Pelepas.
It has a population of more than 700,000.
The first city council in Johor is the Johor Baru City Council.
MBIP is the 14th city council in the nation.