The Jalan Telipok, Klang residents association, fed up with traffic jams and swarms of strangers loitering around their neighbourhood, has aired their grievances to the Klang council (MPK) who had confirmed last year that the parlour was operating without a valid business licence.
The association’s president Dr Elangovan Krishnan said: “Since it (funeral parlour) is illegal, and this area is gazetted as residential, so by right it cannot operate here. It’s a straightforward case, but I’m wondering why it is taking so long for MPK to do their duty.
“Once a business is illegal, MPK should just chase them out. Why are they waiting for a court order? It seems… very suspicious.”
He said that MPK had said six months ago that they were waiting for a court order to vacate the business.
Another local resident, Amirtharaj Savarimuthu, also called on MPK to take “serious action”, saying that neighbourhood children had become afraid to play beyond the compounds of their homes. Women were also hesitant to leave their homes at night as they did not feel safe with so many strangers in the neighbourhood
“We are so scared… It’s not safe for us because we don’t know who these fellows are,” he said. “Especially with Covid-19, this (funeral parlour) has now become a big issue. We expect the council to give us a safe environment to live in.”
MPK’s communications director Norfiza Mahfiz said the council is preparing an investigation paper to bring the case to court. “MPK has advised the operator to cease operations,” she said in a brief statement.
On Oct 5 Selangor state executive councillor Teng Chang Khim wrote to Elangovan to say that a state committee on non-Muslim religions had agreed with a Klang council decision not to approve the funeral parlour’s planning permit.
“Further action has to be taken by MPK,” said the letter.
When asked about the situation, the funeral parlour’s co-owner Terrence Lim said: “I applied for a licence but it was not approved. I only have a SSM (Companies Commission of Malaysia registration) at the moment and no business licence as MPK keeps on rejecting it.”
Lim said “plenty of other businesses in Klang have had issues with their applications and something got stuck. My problem is that the building is not approved.”
He said he took over the business from a previous owner two years ago and was not aware that the landlord did not submit building plans to MPK.
Lim said the parlour is in a building owned by the temple next door, which has been in the neighbourhood for more than half a century before houses in the area were completed.
He said the congested traffic on roads in the area were a result of two schools being in the neighbourhood.
He said under Covid-19 SOPs there is a limit on the number of those in attendance at funeral services.
“I feel (residents’ complaints) a bit too much as I am just trying to run my business,” he said. “If I really cannot do so, MPK must come and tell me to stop my business immediately instead of giving us hope and issuing us fines.”