The recent protest staged  by some residents at the entrance to the Hindu burial and cremation grounds in Jalan Madras, Buntong against the state government-funded construction of a modern crematorium in a property owned by the Hindu Paripalana Sabah of Ipoh is indeed a sad development for the Hindu community. ( The Sun - Fired up over new crematorium, Nov 3)

The protesting residents are worried that their health and peace will be affected if the construction of the crematorium is allowed to proceed. The protesters are claiming that the Department of Environment (DOE) has not approved the crematorium due to its close proximity to the  residents.

The DOE regulations stipulate that a buffer zone of 200 metres is required between the residents and the crematorium. However, the present site which was proposed for the building of the crematorium apparently does not meet this  regulation.

I can understand the feelings and anxiety of the residents who are living in the affected area, especially those who make a living attending to the many open burning rituals. The Hindu Devastanam Paripalana Sabah in Ipoh and the state authorities should look into the residents’ concerns seriously and work out an amicable solution with the  affected residents.

We should not ignore the genuine fears and grouses of the affected residents. The state authorities together with local respected community leaders should step in to help settle the issue.

On the other hand the affected residents who are protesting against the building of the crematorium should be reasonable and must take into consideration the needs and wishes of the general Hindu public in Ipoh. At the moment there is not a single crematorium in Ipoh to cater for them. Hindus who wish to cremate the remains of their loved ones have to travel far away to perform the cremation rites and that, too, in non-Hindu crematorium grounds.

Many of the Hindus that I have come across  are generally very happy and grateful to the state government for the funding allocated to the Hindu Devastanam Sabah of Ipoh for the building of the crematorium. They are also concerned for the affected residents and are hoping that some kind of win-win formula could  be worked out soon so that the building of the crematorium can proceed without any further delay.

I am also concerned for the welfare and well-being of all those affected residents. However, we cannot simply cast aside the needs and feelings of the majority of the Hindu public who have been looking forward to the building of a modern crematorium for many decades. Now that the state government has come forward with RM1.3 million in funding, we must not miss out on this opportunity.

The fears and anxiety of the residents is understandable but it may be due to a lack or breakdown in communication between the residents and the Hindu Devastanam Sabah of Ipoh. It could also may be the work of certain outsiders who could have exploited the sentiments of the affected residents.

Relatively safe for city folks’ needs

Whatever it is  it  must be pointed out that modern crematoriums  are fitted with high-tech gadgets to mitigate all kinds of pollution emitted during the incineration process. These crematoriums are said to be environment-friendly and relatively safe for city folks’ needs.

Furthermore, crematoriums are inspected regularly by the relevant authorities to ensure their safety and that they are operated by adequately trained and supervised personnel. Many of these crematoriums follow stringent operating procedures. As such the residents should not be unduly worried of the safety and health aspects if this is their main concern for the protest.

The residents’ claim that the crematorium will affect their health due to the air pollution from the crematorium is not correct. Actually, the open  burning  of the corpses that is currently being practiced near their homes are considered more hazardous to humans and the environment. There is practically no pollution control for the traditional open burning practices.

Generally, many Hindus do not like to speak openly about this (the traditional open burning of corpses) as a mark of respect for the religion and its associated rituals.

However these days, Hindus are keener on modern cremation practices if a modern crematorium facility is made available to them

Buntong in Perak is a densely-populated area and its population, especially that of the Indian community, is on the rise. It is timely and appropriate that a modern crematorium is introduced to gradually phase out open burning of corpses in this area.

Those who wish to continue with their traditional ways of burning corpses can always do so in other open Hindu cremation grounds elsewhere in Ipoh or in its surrounding areas. There are so  many advantages with the setting-up of a modern crematorium and those who are opposing it perhaps are not aware of it or they have being misled.

There is a possibility that  certain quarters with a hidden agenda could have taken advantage of the situation to exploit the residents’ sentiments and plight. The general Hindu public sympathise with those residents who are directly affected by the crematorium building but they are also equally concerned about the delay in the building of the modern crematorium.

On behalf of the Hindu public, I appeal to all parties concerned to put their differences aside and unite in the interest of the society and community and work towards an amicable solution. If need be the authorities should consider some form of acceptable compensation to the  residents who are directly affected by the crematorium building proposal.

The affected residents should also be realistic and reasonable in their demands and they should be wary of those who are trying to exploit their plight. At the end of the day, the small group of affected residents should realise that the land where the crematorium is supposed to be built belongs to the Hindu Paripalana Sabah, in other words it is private property and the residents may have to face legal implications.

I hope the affected residents will cooperate with the authorities and settle the issue amicably.

In the meanwhile I urge the DOE to review some of its guidelines with regard to the buffer zone requirement (for building crematoriums). These days, with the advance of modern science and technology, we have the state-of-the-art crematoriums and incinerators that are relatively safe to be built and operated near human habitats. Outdated rules and regulations can sometimes inadvertently lead to unwanted conflicts and misunderstandings in the community.