KULIM: The Kedah government today reached an agreement with the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple committee to relocate the temple in Sungai Seluang, Lunas here, to make way for the Kulim Hi-Tech Park (KHTP) expansion project.
The decision follows months of negotiations between the two parties to move the 71-year-old temple to a new site approximately 12 kilometres away from the current location, thereby legitimising the temple's status as a house of worship.
State Chinese, Indian, and Siamese Communities Committee chairman Wong Chia Zhen said that the temple committee has agreed to relocate in September this year.
"Through determination and months of effort, today the devotees of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple will have a legitimate place of worship.
"Today, I chaired a meeting with all stakeholders for the final time to coordinate this matter.
"All parties have reached an agreement for the temple to be moved at an agreed time and subsequently registered legally," he said during a press conference at the Kulim District and Land Office today.
He said the agreement highlighted the state government's commitment to ensuring that minority rights are protected.
"Although there was a notice from the district and land office giving the temple until June 30 to vacate the land, the temple appealed against it because of an annual prayer ceremony on August 31.
"The state government took this into consideration and allowed them to move after September," he said.
He added that the issue concerning the burial ground related to the temple has also been resolved.
Meanwhile, the temple's chairman, K Kheeshor Kumaar, expressed gratitude for the state government's efforts to ensure that the temple is relocated to an appropriate location.
The temple was scheduled for demolition to facilitate the expansion of the Kulim Hi-Tech Park industrial zone and had first received the notice in 2022.
Kheeshor said the state government had proposed a plot approximately 12 kilometres from the current site for the temple's reconstruction.
However, he said the temple's committee requested the state government to provide an alternative plot for the temple's reconstruction as the proposed location would not be convenient for the devotees.
In response, Wong assured that the state government remained committed to finding a solution for relocating the temple and would allocate time for discussions with the temple.