SEREMBAN: Local councils in Negri Sembilan have been instructed to closely monitor the construction of new non-Muslim places of worship in the state and to immediately halt any projects that have not obtained the necessary approvals.
State local government, housing, and transport committee chairman J. Arul Kumar said this was to prevent future problems.
He said if the construction of places of worship being built illegally was not addressed now, it could become a sensitive issue later and drag on for decades.
"If we do not take any action today, probably 20 or 30 years from now, we will still be facing this issue," he said.
"So, the first thing we need to do is to immediately stop the construction of such structures that are being carried out without approval or on land that does not belong to them," he told reporters in Senawang near here on Tuesday (Feb 10).
Citing an example, Arul Kumar said he had previously directed a local council here to demolish a temple that was being built illegally along a slope in Senawang Perdana.
"We took action before construction was completed. Then it does not become an issue," he said, adding that there were no issues with the construction of Muslim places of worship, as this came under the jurisdiction of the state Islamic Affairs Department.
He admitted that most issues involving temples said to be built illegally involved older structures, including those built in estates decades ago.
He said when these former estates were later developed, the temples were not moved to another location, leading to them being labelled as illegal structures.
Arul Kumar said the state government had introduced a policy in 2019 that approvals for the planning of new developments would only be given after issues related to places of worship located there were resolved.
Citing another example, he said that before approvals for the MVV City project were given, the developer had agreed to provide land for three Hindu temples that had been built in the area long ago.
"The temple committees were also happy with the arrangement and agreed to relocate," he said.
Arul Kumar said the state government was committed to resolving such issues harmoniously.
"Many Hindus are also unhappy with temples being built illegally, as we need to safeguard and preserve the sanctity of our places of worship," he added.
