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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Ashram will be spared, says committee

Protesters taking part in a march over the weekend to save the Vivekananda Ashram, which is being earmarked for redevelopment. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 11, 2014.Protesters taking part in a march over the weekend to save the Vivekananda Ashram, which is being earmarked for redevelopment. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 11, 2014.
Saying its detractors were "misinformed", the Vivekananda Ashram management committee said its redevelopment plans for the historic building did not include plans to demolish it.
Instead, the building would remain intact, the committee said in a statement today, its first public comments on the matter since coming under fire from heritage supporters, politicians and citizens who want the century-old building preserved and gazetted as a heritage site.
"The widespread belief that the ashrama building is going to be demolished is not true… There are absolutely no plans to demolish the ashrama building, the building will be left intact and strengthened," the statement said.
According to the committee, the land was acquired by the ashram more than 80 years ago and currently comprises the ashram building, a hostel built in the 1960s and the Sangeetha Abivirithi Sabha auditorium which is partially constructed.
The Sangeetha Abivirithi Sabha is a sister organisation of the ashram and is involved in cultural activities.
The ashram hall could only accommodate about 100 people and the "changing demographic and social environment" has made the hostel redundant, while the auditorium was never fully completed since the 1970s because of financial constraints, the committee said.
"Notwithstanding the changes taking place, the management committee is fully aware that the ashrama building has a lot of significance to the community because of various educational, cultural and spiritual activities.”
Non-governmental organisations, concerned individuals and political parties had come together in the past couple of weeks after it was revealed that there were plans to develop the site into a multi-storey apartment building.
A signature drive was carried out, with tens of thousands signing the petition to save the ashram from redevelopment.
The objections are expected to be handed to Kuala Lumpur City Hall today.
The redevelopment plan also included new additional amenities to complement the existing ashram, the committee's statement said, without going into detail what these would be.
It said these additions would enable the ashram to better serve the needs of the future generation, while the ashram building will be issued a separate title to protect its ownership.
"The terms of the development are such that the developer will be allowed to build in certain sections within the property and take measures to protect the structure of the ashram building. 
"The proposal to develop the ashram was conducted via a tender exercise which received submissions from developers," the statement said.
These submissions were reviewed by an advisory committee that was chaired by a senior independent advisor who has vast experience in property development.
The committee also said that the redevelopment project had been approved by the management and members of the Ashram, and that preservation of the ashram building was a key condition that received the members' approval.
"It has been determined that the management committee should pursue a solution that maximises the value of the land and opt for a balanced development plan while retaining the ashrama building," the statement said.
The Swami Vivekananda statue outside the building will also be retained.
Noting that Brickfields today was different from the 1930s when the ashram was built, the committee said it was "cognisant of the commercial value of land in the area".
Its goal now was to find a sustainable means of funding the three Tamil schools and one national secondary school under the ashram's care, and raising funds on an ad hoc basis did not allow it to conduct long-term planning.
- TMI

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