THE restoration of the 122-year-old Wadda Gurdwara Sahib in Jalan Gurdwara, George Town, is scheduled to be completed within 24 months.
During his visit to the site today, Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo assured the conservation and restoration committee, headed by Datuk Seri Mahinder Singh Dulku, that the project would be successfully completed.
Jagdeep announced that the entire restoration project would cost approximately RM6 million, and expressed gratitude to the state government for contributing RM1 million. According to Datuk Seri Mahinder Singh Dulku, the chairman of the conservation and restoration committee, they have raised RM2.6 million for the project thus far.
“This heritage building is 122 years old. It is not easy, even changing tiles must adhere to the requirements outlined by Unesco. But we will get it done. That is my promise to the Sikh community.
“The state government has always supported places of worship. Apart from this project, the state has spent RM11 million on other places of worship across all five districts. It may not be much, but we will continue doing that,” Jagdeep said.
He acknowledged that restoration work inside the building had commenced before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, due to certain circumstances, the project was unavoidably delayed.
The project also holds special significance for Jagdeep, as his father, the late Karpal Singh Deo, lived down the road at the nearby Cecil Street, and Jagdeep himself frequented the gurdwara as a young boy.
“I am undertaking this project in memory of my late father,” said Jagdeep, who has previously been involved in successful restoration projects for the gurdwaras in Seberang Perai and Bayan Baru, and other initiatives.
Jagdeep was later invited to affix a hoarding using a drill, marking the start of the major restoration project.
Also present were the conservation and restoration committee’s chairman Datuk Seri Mahinder Singh Dulku, co-chairman Datuk Malkit Singh, Persatuan Wadda Gurdwara Sahib president Santok Singh and committee member Datuk Surinder Singh.
Mahinder, on behalf of the committee, thanked Jagdeep, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, the state government and other stakeholders for their donations to the project.
He announced that a golf tournament would take place in Hatyai this weekend to help raise additional funds. Furthermore, the committee has planned to hold a fundraising dinner in Penang in November, with the aim of collecting RM2.5 million to RM3 million.
He also thanked Datin Seri Utama Gurmit Kaur, the wife of the late Karpal Singh, for her guidance as the committee’s adviser in getting the project going.
“Today is a historic day as the actual work commences. I am proud that we have here the son of one of Penang’s illustrious figures, the late Karpal Singh, to oversee this project.
“We want to thank everyone who has contributed financially to preserve this historic building, which all people in Penang, regardless of race or religion, must be proud of. It is over 120 years, and we must be proud of preserving this building,” Mahinder Singh said.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis