Management Of Unregistered Temple Pleads Against Demolition

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The 46-year-old New Labu Estate Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Labu, Negeri Sembilan. (Ranjit Kumar Kuppan pic)PETALING JAYA: An unregistered Hindu temple in Labu, Negeri Sembilan, faces demolition with its landowner planning a new development in the area.
The management of the temple is appealing against the demolition, asking the landowner to include the structure in its development plan.
The 46-year-old New Labu Estate Sri Maha Mariamman was built on Sime Darby Plantation land that was recently bought over by Sime Darby Property.
Temple co-caretaker Ranjit Kumar Kuppan said the management was “not asking for much”, except for the preservation of the temple.
“It’s an old temple, built in 1976 for the plantation workers and maintained by Sime Darby Plantation, which funded it through the years,” he told FMT.
“But three years ago, we found out that the land was bought over by Sime Darby Property, which wants to demolish the temple.
“We sent them letters pleading with them not to do it but they turned us down, saying the temple is not registered.
“We didn’t have it registered because, at the time, we depended solely on Sime Darby Plantation to manage it.
“The people are not educated and not well-versed with paperwork and documentation. They’re just plantation workers.”
Ranjit said he had tried to speak with Sime Darby Property representatives and had sought Nilai assemblyman Arul Kumar Jambunathan’s help, but the company was adamant on its decision to demolish the temple.
“We spent about RM350,000 to renovate and restore the temple with hard-earned donations from the people. It’s our heritage,” he said.
“We tried getting the temple registered three times after we found out about the demolition plan, but all our applications were rejected.
“We don’t want to create problems. We’re just asking them to include the temple in their development plan.”
Ranjit said the temple committee was planning a press conference with the Hindu Sangam, Arul Kumar and Sime Darby Property representatives on March 25 in Nilai.
A Sime Darby Property spokesman told FMT the company was in ongoing discussions with stakeholders and had identified a plot of land for the proposed relocation of the temple.
“The company is fully committed to financially supporting the proposed relocation of the temple to a new site,” he said.
“The new temple site proposed by the company will be approximately 40% larger than the existing site and will have improved facilities, including access roads, fencing and utilities.”
He said the proposed location would be in a nearby residential area, making it more suitable for a place of worship compared to the current location, which will be surrounded by industrial development. - FMT

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