Their own gurdwara at last

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THE Sikh community in Bayan Baru, Penang, can finally look forward to having their own gurdwara after 20 years.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the Penang Development Corporation had approved the sale of a 0.5ha plot next to the Than Hsiang Buddhist Temple to the Gurdwara Sahib Bayan Baru Association.

“After much consideration, the land was sold to the association at the original price,” he said in his speech during a visit to the gurdwara yesterday to announce the approval of the sale of the land to the association.

A place for us: Nachatar Singh showing an artist's impression of the four-storey gurdwara to built.

Association president Nachatar Singh said the temple committee was working on a design and that they aimed to build a four-storey place of worship which was also eco-friendly.

He said the new Sikh temple was necessary to cater to the growing Sikh community in the vicinity.

“Once construction is completed, the building is expected to accommodate between 400 and 500 worshippers,” he said, adding that the association bought the land for RM130,750.

Nachatar Singh also said the total construction cost was estimated to reach RM3mil.

“We are happy that we finally have land to build the gurdwara as the committee had been working on this dream for the past 20 years,” he said.