The National Heritage Commission has decided to make Vivekananda ashram in Brickfields a heritage site, said Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He added that the owner of the building had appealed against the decision (to make the ashram a heritage site) on July 15.

"The appeal was rejected. The minister's decision is final, there will be no appeal in courts as all procedures were observed," Nazri (BN-Padang Rengas) told the Dewan Rakyat.

This means the ashram will be saved from any form of development.

M Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat), who thanked the government for the decision, asked the government to provide funds to make Vivekananda ashram a main tourist spot.

Nazri, however, said the maintenance of the property should be borne by the owner as the government would not allocate any funds.

"There will be no financial assistance from (the government)," he said.

The board of trustees of Vivekananda ashram, who had opposed turning the ashram into a heritage site, had contended that a proposed 23-storey apartment block with 264 units and an eight-storey car park would generate revenue that would finance cash-starved educational institutions and welfare projects run under the auspices of the ashram.

This prompted Raja Singham, the founder of Brickfields Asia College, to pledge RM500,000 last November to preserve the ashram as a heritage site.

Meanwhile, Nazri said as of Oct 5, a total of 45 buildings and 109 sites were listed as heritage sites under the National Heritage Act 2005.