Happy to hear that a Sikh temple is being built. Interesting to note that it took them 21 years to get the application approved after several rounds of negotiation. Quite fast eh? 🙂 Good luck to the community in building the gurdwara. Hope they will get sufficient funds from federal and state governments. Election coming soon, so better squeeze them for much fund as possible.

Also I hope the gurdwara doesn’t become an issue since I believe about 90-over % of the population in Shah Alam are Muslims.

SOME 400 Sikh families in Shah Alam can soon look forward to performing their prayers and carry out other related activities in a more conducive environment once their long-awaited new place of worship in Section 18 is completed in November.

The community, who had been holding their religious activities under cramped conditions at a corner unit of a low-cost double-storey house in Section 25, Taman Sri Muda since 1993, will no longer have to travel all the way to other gurdwaras in Klang or Petaling Jaya as the new premises will be sufficient to accommodate larger congregations.

The New Building Fund committee chairman Patminderjit Singh said work on the new place of worship began last month and some RM1.1mil had been raised to-date.

For a smooth-sailing project: Priests performing prayers before the commencement of the construction of the new Gurdwara Sahib Shah Alam project in section 18.

“The Sikh community desperately needs a new gurdwara as the present premises is unable to accommodate us. We have had to put up tents outside the present premises whenever the crowd was big,” he said.

Patminderjit said Sikh families were also unable to hold weddings or other major events such as Vaisakhi, which was the most important event in the Sikh calendar on a big scale at the present premises due to this.

“The residents here had also complained to the authorities several times particularly when we put up a tent to allow the congregation to partake in langgar (vegetarian meals),” he said adding that the Sikhs had never intended to inconvenience their neighbours but were left with no choice.

Patminderjit said the new gurdwara would be able to serve the growing Sikh community with more new townships opening up in surrounding areas.

Apart from Shah Alam, Sikhs from Taman Sri Muda, Bukit Rimau, Kota Kemuning, Bukit Kemuning, Bukit Jelutong and other nearby areas in Petaling Jaya, Kelana Jaya, Subang Jaya and Klang thronged the present premises during religious celebrations.

Soon to be ready: An artist’s impression of the new Gurdwara Sahib Shah Alam.

Patminderjit said the community would also be able to hold Punjabi language and music classes, particularly for the children once they moved to the new premises.

Sikhs, he said, first submitted an application for a parcel of land in 1984. After several rounds of negotiations with the state government, the present site was approved on Dec 20, 2005.

Patminderjit said the committee had also written to the Inland Revenue Board to seek tax exemption for those who donate to the cause.

“Piling work has been completed and work is in full swing now.

“We have now invited tenders for the main building and are hoping that more donors would come forward to help us,” he said, adding that the Sikhs had also written to the federal and state authorities for financial aid.

Those who wish to know more about the progress of the construction or to make donations can visit www.gssabuildingfund.com.

source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2012/1/6/central/10190913&sec=central