First a wall, now DBKL takes on main temple

Just a week after Deepavali, demolition works at the 101-year-old Sri Muneswarar temple at Jalan P Ramlee in Kuala Lumpur suddenly resumed this morning, taking off a larger chunk than the originally disputed eight-feet border.

When contacted today, temple secretary Nalini Nani confirmed news that lawyer and PKR leader S Jayathas had been detained at the temple site.

The controversial works began in September when the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) forcibly put up a dividing wall within the temple's premises as the eight-foot strip had been handed to the neighbouring developer.

At that time, Jayathas and colleague K Nagarajan were both arrested for trying to stop DBKL's officers.

As of 11.30am today, two bulldozers were at work tearing down large portions of the temple, while about 50 police and DBKL personnel stood watch and closed the road leading to the temple.

Workers were also seen removing part of the temple roof and cutting down surrounding trees.

DBKL arrived 'without warning'

By noon, only the temple's prayer hall and its five-metre tall gopuram (a monument tower) in front of the hall remains standing, while the bulldozers shifted work to focus on loading rubble onto trucks for disposal.

Nalini said the demolished portions comprise of adjacent structures that make up the temple’s washroom, kitchen, meeting room, and living quarters for the temple's priest and cleaner.

Padang Serai MP N Surendran (right) said the demolition works have gone beyond the additional eight feet of land that the developer had demanded.

"Suddenly they have gone on and effectively destroyed the temple," he said.

He claimed that DBKL had arrived without warning at about 7am and proceeded with the demolition works.

He said the demolition was done in bad faith as retribution against the temple committee's steadfast resistance to the developer's demands.

Surendran said the temple committee already fixed a meeting with the Federal Territories deputy minister Loga Bala Mohan Jaganathan. Despite this the demolition had proceeded.

He added that he and the local MP Fong Kui Lun, who was also present, will submit an urgent motion to Parliament on the issue tomorrow morning.

Weighing options

The temple's legal advisor, M Manogaran (left, with microphone) said the Nov 19 meeting with Loga Bala is meant to discuss upgrading the temple and he had asked for architectural drawings of the proposed upgrades.

An architect appointed by the temple committee has already started work on this.

"So we are shocked as to why they do such things to us. It clearly shows that there is bad faith… You lead us the wrong way and suddenly you turn the tables on us in this manner.

"We are not fighting anybody. (We have been here for) 101 years and we want to remain here. We are prepared to build this temple into a garden temple that blends into the environment at our own cost,” said Manogaran, who is also the former Teluk Intan MP.

He said the temple committee still weighing its options in response to the demolition, including legal action.

"One thing is for sure: We will fight on," he said.