STAKEHOLDERS in Bukit Antarabangsa, Ampang Jaya, Selangor are urging the local authority to be more transparent about a proposed crematorium project in the area.
In September last year, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) announced that a site had been identified for the proposed facility on a 4ha land between Taman Wangsa Ukay and Taman Andaman Ukay.
According to MPAJ, the site was currently gazetted as a Chinese/Buddhist burial site and the land could be used for a crematorium.
However, there has been little information about the project since the announcement.
Resident Surinder Singh said the council should be more forthcoming with the plans as it concerned the people living in the area.
“We do not even know if the project is still on as there have been no updates.
“We have also heard conflicting information that it has been cancelled,” he added.
Surinder, who is also a committee member of Bukit Antarabangsa Task Force (BATF) – a coalition of 30 residents associations, joint management bodies and management committees – said the suggested site was not an appropriate location as it was too close to residential areas.
“There are other sites that are further away from heavily populated areas that can be rezoned for a crematorium,” he added.
Taman Wangsa Ukay resident SJ Lee pointed out that having the facility there would affect property prices.
“Bukit Antarabangsa has been labelled a red zone because of landslide cases and this has significantly impacted our property prices.
“Having a project that is deemed ‘undesirable’ is only going to make the situation worse,” she said.
However, a resident who only wanted to be identified as Tan, said such a facility was needed in Ampang Jaya.
“There are several cemeteries but there are no crematoriums.
“The nearest one is the Kuala Lumpur City Hall crematorium in Cheras.
“I am sure that new technologies can be used to minimise any inconvenience,” he said.
Meanwhile, MPAJ Public Relations and Secretariat Division head Norhayati Ahmad said no decision had been made yet if the project would go ahead.
“For now, the proposal is still being evaluated,” she said in a brief message to StarMetro.
MPAJ president Mohd Fauzi Mohd Yatim had previously said that the facility would not be too close to homes as there was sufficient buffer zones between the site and surrounding residential areas.
During a state assembly session last year, Selangor government announced that three more crematoriums would be built in the state with a two-year date-of-completion target.
It was reported then that planning permission for two crematoriums in Ijok and Jeram under Kuala Selangor Municipal Council and another in Mukim Beranang by Kajang Municipal Council had been approved.
Currently, there are seven crematoriums in Selangor – two each under Shah Alam City Council and Petaling Jaya City Council, and one each under Subang Jaya City Council, Klang Municipal Council and Sepang Municipal Council.
