KUALA SELANGOR, Feb 1 — The Sri Subramaniar Swamy Temple requires additional funds to carry out work to upgrade its parking facilities following the sudden increase in the attendance of Hindu devotees in conjunction with the Thaipusam celebration every year.
State executive councillor for human resources, poverty eradication, Orang Asli, and minority affairs Papparaidu Veraman said the house of worship has now emerged as one of the main focal points for the Thaipusam celebration in the state after Batu Caves, thus requiring special attention in terms of the development of supporting facilities.
“Thaipusam is a festival that is highly regarded by Hindus throughout Malaysia, and what we saw yesterday in Batu Caves and today in Kuala Selangor is that both were filled with a sea of people despite the large venue.
“Based on observations, the location of a large-scale Thaipusam celebration should be given priority in terms of infrastructure development to ensure the comfort and smooth movement of devotees,” he told Bernama at the temple today.
Papparaidu added that although the temple can accommodate about 10,000 devotees at a time, inadequate parking facilities can cause traffic congestion and double parking, especially during the Thaipusam celebration, which attracts around 30,000 attendees.
Therefore, he will seek additional funds by meeting with the state government, including contacting Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari, to secure financial support for the temple's future facility upgrades.
