The 102-year-old Vadakara Batra Kaliamman Temple in Putra Heights is now facing an uncertain future after the land title was transferred to a private company. The Selangor Sri Vadakara Batra Kaliamman Devotees Association only became aware of the transfer when they received a notice from the Shah Alam High Court in July, filed by the developer Sasa Mewah Sdn Bhd, requesting that they vacate the land.
“The transfer of the land title to Sasa Mewah by the Petaling Land and District Office in February this year was only brought to our attention at that time,” said Arun Dorasamy, the association’s adviser, in a statement to the media today.
In addition, the association’s assistant secretary, M. Moghana Sunder, alleged that Sasa Mewah has no plans to develop the land.
Arun expressed concern, stating that the new landowner had never engaged in any discussions or consultations with the association. He also questioned how the Petaling Land and District Office could approve the land transfer when the ownership dispute had not yet been resolved.
He further explained that the ownership of the land had been a point of contention since 1989, when the land and district office divided the original lot (Lot 199) into 10 separate lots. In 1998, the land ownership was transferred to Concrete Gold Sdn Bhd.
He said, “All of this was done without the temple’s knowledge. We only found out about it in 2012 when Concrete Gold asked us to relocate.”
The temple later agreed to relocate, provided it was moved to a new location within Putra Heights, which they had identified in 2017 and applied for with the Subang Jaya municipal council. However, the application was denied due to objections from nearby residents.
In 2019, the municipal council suggested three alternative sites in Seri Kembangan and Puchong. However, the temple rejected these proposals, citing the locations as unsuitable, according to Moghana Sunder. He also mentioned that after 2019, the temple received no further updates from the municipal council regarding the status of the land until recently.
Arun stated that the temple is seeking an explanation after submitting a memorandum to Nurunnajmi Amat Janji, an assistant officer from the Petaling land and district office, earlier today.
He added, “If we do not receive a satisfactory response or a peaceful resolution, we will escalate the issue to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for further investigation.” He also mentioned that the association believes the authorities may have “mishandled” the land.
He stated that the association has made the decision not to move the temple and is exploring all available options, including the possibility of purchasing the land.
The outcome of this matter is yet to be determined, but the temple’s community remains resolute in their efforts to protect their place of worship and preserve their heritage.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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