Party national vice-chairman M. Kula Segaran said the trustees should listen to the people who want the site to be preserved.
“As it is due to the overwhelming interest shown by the people to maintain the site as a heritage site, I call upon the trustees to act in the people’s interest.
“The trustees should not have any commercial aims to make money by redeveloping the site.
“I now openly urge the trustees to drop all plans to redevelop the site.
“If they have reason to raise money, kindly discuss and engage the community which will be more than happy to assist.
“Also, they should not appeal this matter further and listen to the people who want to preserve the site,” said Kula.
Last week, Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Hanipah Farikullah dismissed the trustees’ application to strike out the decision of the National Heritage Department to gazette the 110-year-old Vivekananda Ashram building and its surrounding land in Brickfields as a heritage site.
The High Court ruled against Vivekananda Ashram Kuala Lumpur after allowing a preliminary objection by the department to prevent the company from obtaining a judicial review to challenge the decision.
On October 28 last year, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz announced that the Vivekananda Ashram would be gazetted as a national heritage site.
Despite public support for the announcement, the trustees applied to the High Court to quash the decision.
On Jan 6 this year, the trustees informed the court that they wanted to discuss with Nazri to take another look at this matter.
Kula said Nazri had however told him that the decision was final and irrevocable, and was to benefit all Malaysians.
“I salute the minister for his bold decision and his refusal to meet the trustees,” said Kula, who is also Ipoh Barat MP.
The trustees have proposed to redevelop the Ashram site into a 23-storey residential tower with 264 residential units and an eight-storey car park.
“If the development had been allowed, commercial activities would spring up at the site and compromise Vivekananda’s vision of peace and harmony,” stressed Kula.
The Ashram is named after Swami Vivekananda, who is credited with reviving Hinduism in the late 19th century.