The Selangor state government will not provide a new site for the Sri Maha Madurai Veeran temple, which the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) demolished last week.

 

Selangor exco member V Ganabatirau said this is because the existing Sri Maha Mariammam Temple in Section 17 has sufficient space to cater for the relocation of the Sri Maha Madurai Veeran temple.

 

“There is still space here in Sri Maha Mariammam Temple.

"We can merge the temples to become one. I think we can come out with better planning to propagate our religion,” Ganabatirau ( right ) told Malaysiakini when contacted.

 

The Sri Maha Madurai Veeran temple located in Jalan Harapan, Petaling Jaya was demolished on May 13 in the wee hours by MBPJ without the notice to the temple officials.

 

Ganabatirau said that the alternative land proposed by the temple officials were inappropriate as the proposed land was too close to the main road.

 

“The particular land that they proposed is actually a gap between the main road and the drainage, and they want that particular small piece of land for their shrine there.

 

“It’s five feet away from the main road,” he said.

Built in squatter area

 

According to Ganabatirau, the land was previously a squatter’s area which later had been cleared off by the government in 2004.

 

“The temple did not exist before that. Everything was built after that,”

 

“(So) I asked them if they had registered for the temple. They said they did not register. They told me they have submitted the documents,” he said.

 

The Petaling Jaya district land office issued notices on Feb 23 and April 16 ordering the temple officials to vacate the premises as it was sitting on state land.

 

However, temple secretary T Anvalagan said he was unaware of any notice from the authorities to vacate the premises.

 

Following this, MIC Youth secretary Arvind Krishnan urged the Pakatan-led government to provide an alternative site for the temple.