SHAH ALAM, Feb 23 — The National Hindu Temples Steering Committee has endorsed a four-colour classification system for temples nationwide to facilitate their registration and regularisation.
It said its mandate is not to "arbitrarily register temples", but to guide them towards practical, lawful and sustainable solutions while safeguarding religious rights and social harmony.
"The committee acknowledges that the issue of unregistered temples has increasingly become a national concern. If not managed properly, such matters may affect social harmony and could potentially pose broader national implications,” the committee said in a statement today.
Under the framework, temples in the green category are described as those that possess complete and valid documentation, including gazette status and proper land ownership or approval, and are considered fully regularised.
Temples in the yellow category are those that occupy land designated for non-Muslim houses of worship (RIBI) or private land, but have not yet obtained gazette status or proper land title documentation. The committee will assist in applying for gazette status and pursuing regularisation procedures.
Temples in the orange category are located on government, private, or estate land and have proper approvals or agreements with the respective landowners.
"For such temples, the committee will explore options, including facilitating the purchase of the land by the temple or assisting in securing RIBI land from the government,” it said.
Meanwhile, temples in the red category lack documentation, approval, or agreements with the landowner. For these cases, the committee said it would identify appropriate options, including purchasing the land or merging with existing registered temples where feasible and practical.
"The committee reiterates that its guiding principle is to assist temples in finding the most practical, lawful, and sustainable solutions while safeguarding religious rights and maintaining national harmony,” the committee said.
The decision was made following a February 21 meeting attended by representatives from all committee member organisations, comprising various Hindu bodies, as well as state assemblymen and representatives from political parties.
The committee plans to hold meetings with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and other relevant ministers to facilitate coordinated action.
It added that about 450 temples have responded to its survey so far on the issue of temple construction.
Its statement comes amid controversy surrounding the construction of illegal houses of worship, including in Selangor.
On February 10, the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj urged the authorities to monitor and prevent the building of illegal houses of worship on government and private land, as well as for the government to carefully review every temple application.
