A tourist taking a photo of Swami Vivekananda’s statue at the ashram in Brickfields. — Photos: WILLIAM GARY/The Star
THE fate of the Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, is once again in jeopardy as the land on which the building is on is not recognised as a heritage site in the draft Kuala Lumpur Local Plan (KLLP 2040).
Residents who attended a briefing with the Save Kuala Lumpur Coalition (SKL) were shocked to find there was no mention of the iconic building being designated a heritage site in the draft.
Instead the site has been designated as a major commercial area with a high plot ratio, said Happy Garden resident P. Tamilwanan.
ALSO READ : 112-year-old Vivekananda Ashram is now a heritage site
He said that under the KL Local Plan 2020, the 124-year-old building and surrounding site was listed as heritage zone, even though it was designated for mixed development.
Children playing outside the Vivekananda Ashram building.
“We are concerned about this new development as it could open the door to some parties wanting to redevelop the land,” he said.
Lawyer Deva Kunjari Sambanthan, who was among individuals who had championed Vivekananda Ashram’s cause in the past, said it was an internationally recognised Malaysian heritage site.
“It is a symbol of the blood, sweat and tears of the early settlers of Malaya along with residents of Kuala Lumpur,” she said.
ALSO READ : Ashram land to be redeveloped
SKL chairman Datuk M. Ali said it was shocking and disappointing to discover “surprises” such as these in the draft.
“This is why SKL is urging residents in the city to scrutinise the draft to see what is being proposed in their respective neighbourhoods,” he said.
Describing the move to redesignate the land as disastrous, Ali said stakeholders have until April 1 to file their objections.
In 2014 StarMetro reported that Vivekananda Ashram chairman Tan Sri Dr K. Ampikaipakan had said the board of trustees had approved the decision to sell the 0.4ha plot of land to a developer.
The land was earmarked for a major redevelopment that would see a 23-storey residential tower with 264 apartments and an eight-storey carpark built at the site.
Following public protests and the intervention of then Tourism and Culture minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, the government through the National Heritage Department (JWN) decided to gazette the building with heritage status in 2016.
The ashram, with its bronze statue of prominent spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda, is one of Brickfields’ iconic buildings that has been part of the area’s historical scene and a popular tourist spot.
On Oct 13, 2015, the company Vivekananda Ashrama Kuala Lumpur filed a judicial review at the High Court to set aside JWN’s decision to gazette the building with heritage status.
Then on July 15, 2015, JWN’s then commissioner Dr Zainah Ibrahim went ahead and designated Lot 33, No.220, Jalan Sambanthan, Brickfields, a heritage site.
The company then sought an order to compel JWN and the commissioner to reconsider its proposal that only the Vivekananda Ashram building be designated a heritage site, to enable it to develop the surrounding land.
The High Court dismissed the application for leave for a judicial review, with no order as to costs.
