SHAH ALAM: A Hindu temple in Putra Heights is in danger of being demolished after the land it is situated on was sold to a private company without them being consulted.
Persatuan Penganut Sri Vadakara Batra Kaliamman Selangor wants the Petaling District and Land Office (PTD Petaling) to explain why it approved the land ownership transfer without giving due consideration to the presence of the temple.
It also wants the Selangor government to intervene and provide a satisfactory resolution to the issue.
Its advisor Arun Dorasamy said the issue, which has been ongoing since 2012, had been "mishandled".
He said the land where Kuil Vadakara Batra Kaliamman, which the association claims is over 100 years old, stands was transferred to different owners without consulting the association.
"In 1989, the land office divided the land (Lot 199) into 10 individual lots.
"It then sold the land to Concrete Gold Sdn Bhd (Concrete Gold) in 1998," he said during a press conference at Petaling District Government Complex here after presenting a memorandum to PTD Petaling regarding the issue.
Its assistant secretary Moghana Sunder Mariappan, who was also present, said Concrete Gold approached them in 2012 to ask for the temple’s relocation.
The association applied to relocate the temple to a piece of vacant land in Putra Heights in 2017, but this was rejected due to objections by nearby residents, according to Moghana.
However in July this year, the association was shocked to receive a summons demanding that the temple be demolished and the land vacated.
"When we checked, we found that Concrete Gold had sold the land to another private company called Sasa Mewah Sdn Bhd in February this year. Why weren’t we informed?" Moghana said, adding that the association had appealed against the summons.
Arun also lamented the Selangor government’s approval of the transfer of land ownership without taking into consideration the existing dispute regarding the temple.
"It is only fair for PTD Petaling to resolve this issue first before transferring the ownership.
"The government works for the people's welfare, not for profit," he said.
He emphasised that the temple would stay put and urged the related government agencies as well as the landowner to step forward to find a solution.
He added that the association will lodge a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) if PTD Petaling does not provide them a satisfactory explanation on the issue by Nov 14.
Assistant district officer Mohd Nurunnajmi Amat Janji received the memorandum from the association and said he would look into the matter.
