KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — The Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) has sought to reassure the public that Muslim burial services will not be privatised under the Federal Territories Public Cemetery Development Project.

Jawi director Hanifuddin Roslan said the land at Lot PT3458, in Hulu Semenyih, will remain under the Federal Lands Commissioner and has been gazetted as a 90.12-hectare (222.68-acre) public cemetery.

He said the cemetery development is expected to be completed in 2029, before being handed over to Jawi for management.

“Once the cemetery becomes operational, Jawi will assume full responsibility for managing all burial affairs, including unclaimed bodies, burials and cemetery maintenance, as it does at the eight existing Raudhatul Sakinah Muslim cemeteries,” he said in a statement today.

Hanifuddin said the project is a Madani Government initiative to address the shortage of burial land for Muslims, adding that it is being implemented through a land-swap arrangement between Route Edge Sdn Bhd and the Madani Government.

He said that under the arrangement, the company will build a 4.34km access road connecting Sungai Lalang to the Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK) and provide a public cemetery site on the designated plot.

He said the cemetery, designed based on the Raudhatul Sakinah cemetery concept, will provide up to 104,000 burial plots and is projected to meet burial needs for up to 28 years.

According to him, the company will also build various facilities at the site, including an administrative office, a prayer hall, a funeral management area, quarters, a security post, and related infrastructure.

Hanifuddin expressed hope that this clarification will help Muslims better understand the need for new burial sites in the Federal Territory, while ensuring public cemetery capacity remains adequate to cater for present and future demand amid dwindling land availability.

On Tuesday, Federal Territories PAS was reported to have raised concerns over the implementation of the project through a public-private partnership, including issues involving management rights, the concession period, and fee structures, while seeking assurances that the Muslim cemetery would not be commercialised. — Bernama