THE better than two-decades legend of Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields provides a immediate chance to assessment the idea of stewardship.
Its important utility in administration is that guardians are turned over to launch obligations in a liable and clear trend.
Officials exercise energy in behalf of an entity; they’re custodians of its sources and never proprietors.
This belief fund ought to attain all stakeholders– not merely buyers or contributors– but likewise to the broader space with a good ardour.
According to a report in StarMetro on May 26, 2025, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) claimed the landowners of the 120-year-old Vivekananda Ashram had really requested its web site be zoned as “main commercial”.
With the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 (KLLP 2040) at the moment gazetted and because of enter into stress on June 11, the principals related to the ashram’s rezoning have to assessment the principal idea of stewardship.
The Vivekananda Ashrama Kuala Lumpur was built-in as a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1934.
Its core goal is known as “involved in educational, spiritual, cultural and welfare activities”.
There had really been public curiosity rezone the web site for tutorial and well-being utilization– allures utterly in accordance with the organisation’s talked about goal.
The board of trustees’ 2014 technique to develop a 23-storey overlook the heritage web site precipitated public response and precipitated the construction’s heritage gazettement in 2016.
The actuality that this gazettement was examined by the trustees which they’ve really at the moment permitted “main commercial” zoning talks portions.
Even so, the ashram continues to be a valued group with deep intergenerational worth to the larger space.
The 876 arguments despatched from all through the nation and overseas, together with the excessive involvement in most people listening to, mirror this.
DBKL’s option to rezone the 0.4 ha heritage web site is surprising.
The firm had accessibility to thorough discussions all through most people listening to and succeeding entries from the Save Vivekananda Ashram Brickfields space.
Yet, it exhibits as much as have really handled the board as merely another landowner, with out contemplating the broader ramifications of its stewardship obligations.
Was the entire space interplay process merely a performative exercise?
It would definitely be a welcome shock if DBKL reevaluated its alternative and rezoned the web site as “public facilities” previous to June 11.
Is that manner an excessive amount of to ask of people who regulate a “City for All”?
The space ought to proceed taking part in its stewardship perform. Section 17 of the Federal Territory (Planning) Act 1982 [Act 267] presents a tool to switch the gazetted KLLP 2040.
This alternative continues to be open for the board to ship an utility to rezone the web site as “Public Facilities”.
Meanwhile, the world ought to proceed to be attentive.
Any urged industrial progress must be saved an eye fixed on to verify full conformity with National Heritage Department requirements which all important authorizations are acquired.
At a minimal, the trustees must share their methods and tackle an additional complete stewardship design.
No subject precisely how overshadowed the ashram may come to be by future feral frameworks, its heritage as a monolith to the funds of Malaysia’s chief technology will definitely maintain.
Jayanath Appudurai
Kuala Lumpur
