Temple issue started long before foreign takeover, says One City

PETALING JAYA: One City Development, which owns the land occupied by the Sri Maha Mariamman temple which has seen violent protests in the last two days, said a dispute over the temple’s relocation had started long before the company was bought by a foreign firm.

Responding to an article in a portal on the corporations involved in the temple controversy, it said while it was true that the foreign company took majority control of One City Development’s parent company earlier this year, the report has depicted it in a bad light.

“The ownership structure of the parent company was always openly disclosed in public and regulatory statements,” said a spokesman.

“The way the article is presented, paints One City Development as a greedy developer with a foreign shareholder behind it.

“But in reality, this dispute existed long before the change in shareholders took place,” he told FMT, referring to a dispute between temple devotee M Nagaraju and the temple management.

Nagaraju was a party in a civil suit which included the Selangor government, One City and the temple management represented by K Chellappa.

He had also challenged Chellapa over the right to represent the temple, but failed to oust him.

According to a consent judgment in March 2014, the parties agreed that One City would provide land for a new temple, as well as a donation of RM1.5 million, in return for the vacant possession of the land at USJ 25.

The temple had been slated for relocation on Nov 22 as part of a win-win court solution.

However, a faction at the temple insisted that it remain in its present location despite agreeing to a consent judgment for its relocation in 2014.

Yesterday morning, a violent scuffle erupted over the relocation of a temple in Seafield, with several vehicles set on fire near the USJ exit on the Elite highway.

A total of 21 people have since been nabbed.

One City said the company had exercised restraint and patience “for years” over the relocation.

“And we have followed everything by the book,” it added. - FMT