Escalator To Be Built At Batu Caves This Year, No More Aching Legs!
An escalator at Batu Caves will benefit many people such as the elderly and disabled temple guests.
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Batu Caves is known for its colourful stairs, all 272 steps, leading to the Sri Subramaniar cave temple. However, climbing the hundreds of steps to the temple is a luxury not many can do.
Fortunately, there are plans to build an escalator to allow the elderly and people with disabilities to visit the cave temple.
According to Malay Mail, the escalator will be built this year. Temple committee chairman R Nadarajah expressed hope that the government would allocate some funds for the temple to achieve this goal.
The total funds needed for the project were not disclosed during the press conference with Human Resources Minister Steven Sim in attendance.
We hope (the government) will help us because this year we are going to put up an escalator for the (disabled) and elderly, who cannot climb the steps (to get to the main temple).
Temple committee chairman R Nadarajah
Thanks to Sim’s predecessor, Batu Gajah MP V Sivakumar, RM1 million was allocated to the temple for maintenance purposes.
Nadarajah said the construction of a multipurpose hall at Batu Caves, which cost an estimated RM35 million, will recommence after Thaipusam.
On another note, Sim said his ministry will send 200 volunteers to Batu Caves to assist the temple committee in managing logistical issues during Thaipusam.
They will also set up a booth to provide employment information and register Indian youth for technical courses.
Batu Caves used to have a funicular train beside the stairs
More than 20 years ago, Batu Caves ran a funicular train service up and down the hill. The track runs along the stairs, as seen in an old picture taken in 1975 shared by the Savidge family on Flickr.
Sadly, the funicular train service that had served the elderly and disabled community was halted.
People had made continuous pleas to the temple management to bring back the service but they have yet to hear back.
Around 2014, there were plans to install a cable car service in place of the funicular train service.
However, the plan was eventually scrapped after difficulties gaining approval from the authorities and soil studies proved the project unfeasible.
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