MIC president G Palanivel today urged Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to exercise caution when dealing with places of worship.

He said that the sudden move to demolish the Veppam Kaliamman Amman temple along Jalan Kepong by DBKL yesterday had caused an uproar among the Indian community.

“DBKL did not give proper notice before attempting to demolish the temple. There was also no discussion with the temple committee nor the Federal Territory and Urban Wellbeing Ministry,” he told Bernama .

Palanivel, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said he had raised the matter with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak at the cabinet meeting this morning.

Yesterday, the temple in Kepong, which was in the midst of being demolished by DBKL, was saved after the timely intervention of Federal Territory and Urban Wellbeing Minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin.

The temple committee had received an eviction notice only at 8.30 yesterday morning, and work to break down the temple began 15 minutes later.

Meanwhile, Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Deputy Minister M Saravanan, who is in charge of temples in the federal capital, said the temple even had a letter from the prime minister allowing it to operate on a temporary basis as it sits on government land.

“We will look for a new piece of land to relocate the temple within the housing development in Kepong,” he said.

On another matter, Palanivel said so far more than 60 percent of the 1,500 matriculation seats offered to Indian students had been taken up and the remaining places were expected to be filled up soon.

- Bernama