KUALA LUMPUR: Part of the 101-year old Sri Muneswarar Kaliyaman
Temple in Jalan P.Ramlee was demolished by City Hall officers yesterday.
Temple committee chairman R.A Balasubramaniam claimed the work which started at 7.30am, without any prior notice given to them.
"No notice was given to us. The City Hall officers came and cordoned
off the area and started to demolish the structures. They didn't tell us
what was going on and they refuse to let us into the temple," he
claimed.
More than 300 officers from City Hall, police, Federal Territories Land
and Mines Office, Syabas and Tenaga Nasional were at the temple site.
MIC National Youth head of social welfare bureau Arvind Krishnan said
the temple committee was scheduled to meet Deputy Federal Territories
Minister Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan on Nov 19 to discuss the temple
status.
"Why did the ministry agree to meet the temple committee if they were
going to demolish the temple? We don't want an apology from the
ministry. We want answers from them," he said.
Arvind also claimed that City Hall officers got tough with them, when they started asking about the demolition.
"We asked City Hall for the demolition order and they told us to ask
land office. We then asked land office and were told that they didn't
have the order. How can they conduct a demolition without and order and
without informing the temple committee?" he claimed.
Arvind claimed the Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan
Tengku Mansor had promised to gazette the site as a place of worship
and beautify the area.
On Sept 2, Tengku Adnan had given his assurance, that the temple will
not be demolished but only the canteen adjacent to the temple, which was
built illegally, would be removed.
The Federal Territories Ministry could not be reached for comments.
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