GEORGE TOWN: Burial plots at two cemeteries run by the Penang Hindu Endowment Board committee have to be renewed after 10 years at a cost of RM5,000.

Under new rules effective Aug 1, the board announced that it was also charging a one-time payment of RM500 to "lease" a plot.

The moves have come under fire from Hindus who feel that the charges are exorbitant.

"The board has been making decisions without consulting the community. Their decisions are contrary to public policy and the interest of the Indian community," said N. Ahilan, a spokes-man for the Interim Pro Tem Committee for the Penang Indian Community on Indian Burial.

He urged the board to withdraw the regulations and the threat to exhume the remains of the dead if the money was not paid.
He said a separate charge of RM500 and a further payment of RM1,500 for an area measuring four square feet had to be given to a contractor to put up a tombstone at the cemeteries in Batu Lanchang or Butterworth.

"The board has also set a condition that the tombstone should only comprise a stone measuring two feet long, two feet wide and three feet high, with the plot being cemented.

"It is also disallowing the deceased's family from putting up a more attractive tombstone of their choice using their own contractor," he said, adding that the size of the tombstone was too small.

Ahilan said the practice of placing vegetarian food items on the grave was not permitted, only flowers and fruits. "This is deplorable. It is going against our belief, practice and traditions."

He said a board spokesman had said that the new rules were aimed at discouraging Hindus from burying their dead due to the scarcity of space.