ALOR SETAR: The city council here has given notice that it will demolish a Hindu shrine which has existed for more 100 years opposite the Alor Setar railway station, its caretaker said today.
Sri Madurai Veeran shrine caretaker C Vijhay Mohen said they had been informed that the shrine was illegal and that it needed to be demolished to make way for a road project.
Vijhay said the shrine, under a tree, was set-up by his great-grandfather and other labourers laying train tracks from Butterworth to the northern frontier in the early 20th century.
He said his great-grandfather, a railway worker, was “given” the spot under the tree by the Malayan Railways in the early 1900s.
The shrine has about 3,000 regular worshippers, according to him. He said attempts to register the shrine officially with the Registrar of Societies was turned down as the shrine was considered to be “too small”.
He said, however, that the shrine was registered under the Malaysian Hindu Sangam.
Vijhay said trouble started late last year when the Alor Setar City Council (MBAS) began sending out notices which stated that the shrine had been built “illegally” on road reserve land and was disrupting traffic flow outside the station.
He said he had repeatedly tried to meet the top brass at MBAS, especially the mayor, to appeal, but was never given a chance to do so. He also wrote to the council but had not received any reply.
Vijhay said he recently learned from a third party that the council intended to demolish the shrine on June 23 for a “road project”. He then headed to the menteri besar’s office on June 22 to ask for help.
“I met the menteri besar but he said we had a month to clear out. A day later, his special officer called to say we have 10 days to clear the shrine.
“Where are we going to go? Our shrine merely takes up 10ft by 3 feet of space. Can’t they offer us another piece of land nearby?
“The shrine ought to be kept alive in remembrance of the blood, sweat and tears of the Indian labourers who built the railways,” he told FMT.
In an immediate response, Kedah Indian Affairs Committee chairman Azman Nasrudin said the state government had ordered the demolition to be put on hold.
“This is pending a discussion with the owners of the shrine next week,” he said.
Fake or not? Check our quick fake news buster here.
