Thaipusam Devotees High Hopes Of Selangor Mb Giving Go Ahead To Batu Caves Temple Escalator Project Shattered

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THOUSANDS of Thaipusam devotees who are hopeful of Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari turning up at the Sri Maha Mariamman Devastanam Kuala Lumpur to grant green light to the much-awaited construction of the Batu Caves temple escalator have been left disappointed.
This is because their guest-of-honour had to cancel his visit at the eleventh hour to be part of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led delegation to represent the Selangor state government in a bilateral meeting with visiting Türkiye president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Already bad enough that PMX himself had never once graced the Thaipusam celebration which is deemed a sacred religious festival to Hindu Malaysians since assuming power in November 2022, the least he could have done is perhaps to allow Amirul who has the Batu Caves temple close to his heart to represent him.

Recall that Amirul who is also the first term Gombak MP had on last Friday (Feb 7) accompanied PMX who made a working visit to the Batu Caves temple to have a close view on preparation for today’s (Feb 11) Thaipusam celebration.
This marked the second visit of Amirudin who is a no stranger to Batu Caves temple by virtue of him having been a two-term Batu Caves state assemblyman from 2008 to 2018 to the temple site.

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari is a familiar figure to the Batu Caves temple devoteesDuring the visit, the Batu Caves Hindu Temple Management Committee chairman Tan Sri R. Nadarajah had briefed PMX and his delegation on the proposal to upgrade the Batu Caves Temple Hall for public use and to eventually turn the temple vicinity into a tourist attraction.
The delegation comprised Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan, Selangor State EXCO Papparaidu Veraman, Sentosa state assemblyman Dr Gunaraj George and MIC leadership led by president Tan Sri S. Vigneswaran and deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.
As of January 2024, the Selangor state government has reportedly given preliminary approval for the escalator project proposed by the Batu Caves Hindu Temple Management pending a comprehensive assessment from the Technical Committee for the Development of Environmentally Sensitive Areas.
This is in response to the temple management’s suggestion for an escalator as an alternative to the 272 steps, thus providing convenience for both devotees and visitors.
In this regard, Amirul had clarified that the funds to build the escalator would be borne by the temple but reiterated that the state government would provide assistance to ensure proper due diligence and safety assessment.
To commemorate this year’s Thaipusam celebration, Amirul had on  Feb 10 presented a contribution amounting to RM561,000 from the Special Committee for Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (LIMAS) to 61 temples around Gombak, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Selangor. – Focus Malaysia

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