IPOH: No crematorium and columbarium will be constructed in Bandar Baru Tambun.
This assurance was given by Ulu Kinta assemblyman Muhamad Arafat Varisai Mahamad to concerned residents.
He said this during a meeting chaired by him in the presence of the Ipoh City Council (MBI) representatives and the residents at the Dong Lian Hai Hui Ta Buddhist temple on Jalan Tambun here Friday (July 19).
“As long as I am the assemblyman here, I can give all of you my word that such a project will not be constructed on a piece of land within the temple grounds.
“The council has rejected an application for the project, and as for a long-term plan, I have written a letter to the Land and Mines Office requesting the cancellation of the gazettement given to the temple for the purpose of a crematorium and columbarium many years ago,” he told reporters after the dialogue session with the residents at the temple on Friday (July 19).
Muhamad Arafat said he understood that the residents were worried, especially after seeing some sort of renovation works being carried out at the temple grounds.
“The council had given permission for roof repairs of the temple, but after residents complained that there were other works being carried out, the council had issued a stop work order, and issued a RM5,000 compound to the building owner on July 15 for violating the terms.
“On the gazettement, the Land Office has written back to me on July 17 stating that the matter would be brought up to the state executive council meeting for further action.
“However such matters take time, and we need to be patient. But for now the residents can rest assured that the project will not kick off,” he added.
The residents also brought Muhamad Arafat into the main temple building where what looked like shelves to place urns were built.
Muhammad Arafat said it was very clear that no approval was given to operate a crematorium or a columbarium.
“If in any case the temple committee does operate anything of that sort, that will be deemed illegal, and action will be taken accordingly then,” he added.
In December last year, it was reported in The Star, that residents of Bandar Baru Tambun had started a group called Action Committee Against Crematorium and Columbarium in protest of the plan, and they had handed over memorandums in protest of the project to MBI.
The action committee chairman Lt Col (Rtd) R. Morgan had said that MBI had held a townhall meeting on Nov 16 to discuss the proposed project, and they (residents) were made aware of the proposed crematorium and columbarium project on a 1.4ha land within the temple premises.
The proposed plans involve the construction of a building with four-furnaces and two blocks comprising four-storey that can store 20,500 urns.
