The board of trustees for the iconic landmark Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur has defended its decision to develop the land behind the building.

The board members said that the planned 23-storey condominium will not affect the historic landmark and instead will provide a sustainable income to maintain the four Tamil schools under the ashram.

This is because they plan to turn the schools into trust schools to improve the quality of education for the students.