Published: Saturday November 21, 2009 MYT 3:33:00 PM
Centuries-old heritage area folks see red over high-rise project
By MARTIN CARVALHO and CHEN PELF YEEN
MALACCA: A storm is brewing at Malacca’s centuries-old Chitty Village in Gajah Berang following plans for a high-rise development project next to the protected heritage site.
The controversy arose on Oct 6 when developers of the 22-storey apartment and six-storey hotel-cum-commercial block project cleared and fenced up a 2.25ha land next to the village.
Although construction has yet to start, protests against the project have led to the temporary suspension of two village temple trustees during a meeting on Oct 25.
The last remaining 20 Chitty families, said to be descendants of 16th-century Hindu traders who married local women, fear the project will affect the villagers further.
Village action committee chairman K. Nadarajan Raja, 46, said residents were not against development but only wanted assurances from the state authorities and developers that their heritage would not be compromised by the project.
“We are unhappy with the attitude shown by some officials during the first meeting on Oct 14. One of them threatened us that we would be arrested and thrown into jail if we protested against the project,” he said when met at the village recently.
Nadarajan said there was concern that vibration from construction and piling work for the project would result in structural damage to the 187-year-old Sri Maha Mariamman Temple less than 15m away.
“We are also worried as the project could worsen the already frequent flashfloods we suffer each time there is a downpour,” he said.
Nadarajan said several committee members would submit a protest memorandum to Malacca Historic City Council mayor Datuk Yusof Jantan next week and to seek a dialogue with authorities to solve the issue amicably.
Yusof said the project had been given the green light as the developer was not bound by conditions coming under the World Heritage Site core or buffer zones.
The village does not come under the heritage zones because it is located several hundred meters outside the buffer zone in Tengkera.
“However, we will ensure that the developers take necessary steps to preserve the village,” he said, adding that he was willing to meet the committee to solve the impasse.
Malacca Heritage Trust deputy president Michael Benerji urged the authorities to consider the grouses raised by residents although their village lay outside the heritage zones.
He said the village was protected as a heritage area in June 2000, similar to that given to the Portuguese Settlement and Kampung Morten.
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