KLANG: The Selangor state government has identified a new spot for the Section 19 Sri Mahamariamman temple.
A press statement from the state government’s media secretariat yesterday said the proposed new location would be 100m from the earlier relocation spot in Section 23 and 400m from the residential area in the vicinity.
The statement added that Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, Batu Tiga assemblyman Rodziah Ismail, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Selangor State Development Corporation general manager Othman Omar and Shah Alam mayor Mazalan Md. Noor had gone to the ground to identify the new location.
The temple, which is more than a century old, was supposed to have been relocated near Taman Ixora in Section 23, but residents in the area opposed the plan.
The statement added that discussions would be held with the temple committee regarding the relocation to the new site.
It said the Selangor government was keen to get the approval of all interested parties in order to achieve the most amicable solution possible.
In an immediate reaction, Klang MP Charles Santiago said it should be “all right” if the new location was also in the Section 23 vicinity.
He added that the new location was believed to be next to an oxidation pond, and wanted the state government to ensure that there were no problems such as smell before sanctioning the relocation.
He said it was regrettable that the state government had ordered the relocation after being pressured by a handful of Taman Ixora residents.
“Public policy cannot be made based on intimidation because it makes the state government look very weak,” he said.
Coalition of Malaysian Indian Non-Governmental Organisations secretary Gunaraj George said the decision did not augur well for the state government.
He said the coalition’s members would accept the relocation if the chosen spot was ideal for worship.
Mahayuddin Manaf, chairman of the group protesting over the relocation of the temple, said the state government had not informed them about the new relocation spot, adding that residents’ representatives must be consulted before a final decision could be made.
“We don’t know the exact location but we don’t mind if it’s still in Section 23 provided the temple is not moved anywhere near the residential area or its entrance or exit,” said Mahayuddin.
