Selangor exco Papparaidu will hold a press conference with Batu Caves temple management on Jan 25 to clarify the stalled escalator project.
SHAH ALAM: Selangor Executive Councillor V. Papparaidu will hold a joint press conference with the Batu Caves temple management on January 25 to clarify issues surrounding the proposed escalator construction.
He said this step aims to ensure all matters are handled harmoniously and maturely, especially ahead of the upcoming Thaipusam festival.
“We are about to celebrate Thaipusam, and I want to emphasise that I have no intention of prolonging this issue to the point of disrupting the harmony and preparations for the festival,” he said in an Instagram post.
Papparaidu further explained that old court orders, including those from around 1930, cannot be used to bypass compliance with modern parliamentary acts.
He noted that in the legal hierarchy, old court orders sit below parliamentary acts.
“Therefore, if ROS laws mandate that an organisation must be registered, an old order that only touches on matters of trusts or trustees cannot be used as an excuse to avoid that obligation,” he said.
On January 16, Papparaidu stated the Selangor government rejected a Temporary Occupation License (TOL) application for commercial use, which included the escalator project, based on constitutional provisions.
He clarified the application was submitted under an individual’s name rather than a registered association.
This contradicts land regulations under the National Land Code, which only permits approvals to be granted to associations registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
He added the state government has yet to receive a full report on the registration status of the Sri Mahamariamman Temple Devasthanam Association with the ROS.
The Selangor State Executive Council had previously set registration as a prerequisite for approval.
Previously, Batu Caves Temple Chairman Tan Sri R. Nadarajah claimed the state government was not serious about resolving the proposed escalator construction.
