PLEASE WRITE TO THESE MODERN DAY RELIGIOUS PERSECUTORS AND
WHITE SUPREMACISTS AT E-MAIL:
Paritosh Parasher
A newly constructed Hindu temple has been denied permission
for public worship or social functions under a city council
decision labelled as blatant racism.
The city councilors of Campbelltown in Sydney's southwest
voted 12 to 1 to refuse permission to the Mukti-Gupteshwar
Temple in Minto, which was in the news last year when Nepal's
late crown prince Dipendra visited it and presented to it a
Nepalese icon.
The Campbelltown council decided against allowing conversion
of this massive 'private' shrine for public worship.
The lone dissenting voice is said to have been that of Mayor
Jim Kremmer, who opposed the rejection of the application,
describing it as 'racism'.
"It came as a shock on Tuesday when the council decision
was conveyed to us. It is a bit absurd as 95 percent of the
building is finished," Rama Misra, whose husband Prem Misra
owns the temple said.
The Mukti-Gupteshwar Temple is located on five acres of land,
most of which is underground.
The sculpture has since attracted a large number of devotees
and the list includes a number of visiting Indian dignitaries as
the temple has emerged as one of the principal Hindu shrines in
Australia.
"We had the crown prince of Nepal visit this little
Hindu temple. It doesn't have a major impact on the area, but we
have people who object because it's (Hinduism) not an Anglo
religion. To me this is a good location and a beautiful place
and I'm quite outraged," Jim Kremmer told a Sydney
newspaper.
"Their objection against the increased traffic in the
area sounds absurd. We are near a major road intersection and
have vast parking area where any number of vehicles can be
accommodated," said Rama Misra.
She is puzzled by the objection to the building as being 'a
blight to the landscape,' wondering how an underground structure
could be a 'blight'.
"We have been here for the last three decades and are
law abiding Australian citizens. If such gross violation of
religious sentiments is committed, then we will have to raise
our collective voice against it," said Rama.
Besides the 'traffic congestion' and 'blight on landscape'
pleas, the objecting councillors have said the Misras tried to
deceive the Campbelltown City Council by constructing a
religious shrine on a land lot which they intended to use
personally.
One such councillor Bob Thompson told reporters after turning
down the application that it did not comply with zoning laws.
"He purchased the place, built a home and a place of
worship for his own use, and built it to an extent that was
trying to deceive council," Thompson said.
"We have our codes and they have to abide by them. It's
not a personal thing, they shouldn't be treated any different.
It wouldn't matter if it was my own church."
But Rama said the council may review its erroneous decision
soon. Their failure to rescind the decision, she asserts, would
result in the temple committee having a meeting and launching a
'peaceful' agitation to get the necessary permission.
Indo-Asian News Service
