(From right) Ravi speaking to Lee while Kanesan checks his medicines at the shelter home. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
Batu Maung centre wants to build expanded facility after managing to buy land
Residents of a shelter home in Batu Maung, Penang, are looking forward to a better life ahead after the centre signed a deal to buy the land it occupies.
The 32 residents of Pertubuhan Pusat Jagaan Vallalar Penang, aged between 46 and 84, are excited about the purchase and hope to see a new double-storey building come up.
Certified homeopathy practitioner T. Ravi, 59, who founded the home in 2015, said the purchase of the two lots of land totalling 5,000sq ft was the best gift for 2025 but the home faced another hurdle.
“We managed to raise RM700,000 to buy the land but we need another RM1.5mil to put up another building.
“The current double-storey building we are in occupies a small part of the land, but we want to build another building so that we can take in about 120 residents,” he said.
In the past few months, the number of residents at the centre had increased from 27 to 32.
The centre’s oldest resident Lee Thuan Aun, 84, said he has been living at the centre for the past few months and has settled down comfortably.
“I couldn’t ask for more. I am very happy here,” said Lee, formerly a manager at a car distribution and sales company.
He said the land purchase marked a good start for 2025.
“By owning the land, the centre and its residents don’t have to keep on moving to other places. We can live in this home peacefully as long as we want.”
Resident T. Kanesan, 79, a former factory worker, said he was happy to be with his “family” at the home.
“I joined this home on my own because I can no longer fend for myself.
“When I found out that the land now belongs to the home, I told myself that this is the best gift for 2025 because we won’t have to evacuate,” he added.
It was reported last July that the non-religious centre, registered under Persatuan Penganut Thiru Arut Prakasa Vallalar Penang, faced a dilemma as the landowner planned to sell the land on which the centre sits.
Worried about the fate of the home and its residents, Ravi and members of the centre’s board decided to purchase the land to ensure a permanent place for the residents.
An anonymous donor put up the 20% deposit for the purchase and the rest was raised from well-wishers and donations.
It was also reported that the centre’s operational cost came up to about RM22,000 per month.
This includes salary of four staff and imported medicines for the residents, food, clothing, utility bills as well as maintenance of the home and van to transport residents to hospitals, aside from outings.
Some of the residents also have to undergo psychiatric treatments and other procedures such as cataract operations.
Ravi said, “We are getting calls daily from the public, government hospitals and clinics and even the police to take in the neglected and abandoned.
“We felt bad about having to reject some of them. That was why we thought about buying the land and expanding the building to take in more people.”
He added that the new building would feature facilities such as an exercise room, games room, prayer or meditation halls, library and a landscaped garden.
A fundraising dinner will be held for the new building on Feb 22 at SJKC Shang Wu in Jalan La Salle, George Town, from 7pm.
For details, call Ravi at 016-419 2831 or centre secretary R. Nanthesswaran at 012-964 9622.
