| Puchong, Malaysia | 10 Nov 2015 | Asia Samachar |
The only public crematorium in Puchong, a well-developed township just outside of Kuala Lumpur, had planned a four-day closure its staff have on Deepavali leave, though it is understood that arrangements are being made to ensure it returns back to normal operations tomorrow (11 Nov).
The closure of the crematorium at Jalan Bunga Kertas, 14th Mile in Puchong had irked the local community with the death of a Sikh man today.
“It is ridiculous that the crematorium is closed during public holidays,” Gurdwara Sahib Puchong committee president Awtar Singh tells Asia Samachar.
Autar is also a former councillor of the local authority Majlis Perbadaran Subang Jaya (MPSJ) which runs the facility opened in 2013.
He shared a photograph showing a notice that the crematorium will be closed from 10-13 Nov due to Deepavali holidays, and will reopen on 14 Nov.
MPSJ president Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan or its corporate communication team could not be reached for comment.
UPDATE: “I have instructed them to open [the facility] tomorrow [11 Nov]. My officers did not inform me on this matter.” – MPSJ president Nor Hisham in a text message to Asia Samachar.
When contacted, MPSJ councillor Mohan Singh said the operator at the crematorium had taken leave for the Deepavali celebration.
“I will be bring this matter to the attention of the YDP,” he said, in reference to the MPSJ head.
Mohan had later called Asia Samachar to inform that the MPSJ officials had agreed to ensure that the crematorium will be open from tomorrow (11 Nov) onwards.
Ng Zee Han, a lawmaker with the state of Selangor, said the crematorium should remain open, even on a public holiday. “There is no reason for it to be closed,” said the state representative for Kinrara.
In the past, the Puchong Sikh community had used a wood-fired traditional crematorium, located next to the the new crematorium.
[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com]
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