Brandishing placards which read ‘Don’t burn corpses in our backyards’ and ‘Kajang is a city of culture, not a city of corpses’, some 100 residents took their grouses to the Selangor secretariat building in Shah Alam today.
The residents were incensed over the construction of a columbarium near their homes in Kajang and submitted a memorandum to Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali’s aide Suhaimi Shafie.
However, Kirubakaran Karthigasu, chairperson of the Sri Subramaniya Swami temple, defended the construction as the columbarium land had been gazetted for religious purposes since 1928.
The temple had formed a joint venture with developers to build the columbarium as an extension to an existing crematorium on its land.
One resident committee chairperson Low Chee Cheong told Malaysiakini that they became aware of the project when leaflets regarding the construction were distributed in mid-March.
Low said the residents are upset for not being consulted.
“The road leading to the columbarium is narrow as it is close to the entrance of Taman Jasmin Surau in Taman Tiara Residence.
“Activities like wedding ceremonies could be affected by the frequent funeral and crematory ceremonies.
“With more vehicles and funeral transportation passing through the road, this may endanger the residents and schoolchildren,” he added.
Low said residents are hoping the government would consider turning the site into a green zone area.
He added that the residents respect the heritage value of the Hindu cemetery, as it has been gazetted to the temple since 1928.
“It’s the columbarium we are protesting against,” he pointed out.
EIA report submitted
Meanwhile, Kirubakaran said the cemetery had existed even before housing development took place in the area.
On the complaints regarding possible traffic congestion, he revealed that the temple had prepared an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Kajang Municipal Council’s perusal.
“The local authorities studied our EIA and any possible traffic issue before issuing us the planning permission,” he said.
“We also organised a dialogue in our temple hall. About 15 temple authorities attended the event as well as members from the Malaysia Hindu Sangam, the representative body of Hindus in Malaysia,” he added.
Kirubakaran also dismissed concerns regarding lengthy and noisy funeral ceremonies.
“The prayer halls are used for Hindus before the crematory ceremonies. These ceremonies are held in enclosed spaces and are not noisy at all,” he clarified.
He explained that in 1928, the land was gazetted in the Sri Subramaniya Swami temple’s name, and the joint venture to develop a columbarium does not involve the sale of state land.
“(It’s about) the right to use the land. It’s a kind of rental. So people pay the right to use the columbarium. And the right to use (this land complements) the rights given to the temple under the gazette agreement,” he added.
Commenting on the issue, Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming said the residents have genuine concerns about traffic issues which have not been addressed.
“As far as I know, the municipal council has stopped the project (for now). There are a few representatives including myself who will be working with the state government to re-examine the status of the land,” he added. -Mkini
The location is just too wrong, shouldn't be located where it is surrounded by 8 residential taman. It is not about purpose of the land and now the Columbarium doesn't benefit the Indian community at all.
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