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.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0gurdwaras<\/em>\u00a0in Klang or Petaling Jaya as the new premises will be sufficient to accommodate larger congregations.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sikh community desperately needs a new\u00a0gurdwara<\/em>\u00a0as the present premises is unable to accommodate us. We have had to put up tents outside the present premises whenever the crowd was big,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe residents here had also complained to the authorities several times particularly when we put up a tent to allow the congregation to partake in\u00a0langgar<\/em>\u00a0(vegetarian meals),\u201d he said adding that the Sikhs had never intended to inconvenience their neighbours but were left with no choice.<\/p>\n Patminderjit said the new\u00a0gurdwara<\/em>\u00a0would be able to serve the growing Sikh community with more new townships opening up in surrounding areas.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Patminderjit said the committee had also written to the Inland Revenue Board to seek tax exemption for those who donate to the cause.<\/p>\n \u201cPiling work has been completed and work is in full swing now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have now invited tenders for the main building and are hoping that more donors would come forward to help us,\u201d he said, adding that the Sikhs had also written to the federal and state authorities for financial aid.<\/p>\n Those who wish to know more about the progress of the construction or to make donations can visit\u00a0www.gssabuildingfund.com<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/starstorage.blob.core.windows.net\/archives\/2012\/1\/6\/central\/m_23GurdwaraSahib.jpg\")
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