Malibu opposes plan to build heliport for Divine Light guru

In the southern California community of Malibu Beach there is another
religious leader besides the Ayatollah Khomeini who is winning no
popularity contests.

The guru Maharaj Ji, aged 22, the Indian-born leader of the
Divine Light Mission whose followers are said to number seven million
throughout the world, is locked in earthly battle with residents of
this waterfront community which includes a goodly collection of show
business luminaries including Barbra Streisand, Cary Grant, and singers
Bob Dylan and Linda Ronstadt, girlfriend of Mr Jerry Brown,
California's Governor.

It all began when devoted followers of the "Perfect Master", as
he is called, gave him a spanking new jet helicopter for his birthday.
That created a problem. There was nowhere for the leader of the
religious cult to land and take off at his $2m (£909,000) hill top
estate.

In May the guru's lawyers were denied permission to build a
heliport near the pool and tennis court by the Los Angeles Regional
Planning Commission. The guru is appealing against that decision and
his followers are expected to show up at a public hearing before the
Los Angeles Board of Supervisors on Thursday.

The guru has taken out full page advertisements in local
newspapers to try to placate residents' groups which vigorously oppose
the heliport, saying it not only creates noise but is an unnecessary
hazard.

Engineers hired by the guru have run extensive tests to prove
that their modern executive helicopter is a particularly noiseless one
and that wherever heliports are built property values around have gone
up. They also say that the guru only plans to use his helicopter six
times a year.

Residents still are not impressed and the battle so far has been fought in the columns of the Malibu Surfside News.

"Such a heliport could generate as much noise as a factory right here in peaceful Malibu", Mr John May, a resident declared.

Mr Kent Mulvihill, another neighbour, said: "The most compelling
argument against this private indulgence is the alarming precedent it
would set. The hills of Malibu are dotted with movie stars, rock
singers and top executives who could make an equal or better claim to
the need for a private heliport. If this one gets through it could be
just a matter of time before Malibu becomes helicopter heaven."

The guru's devotees, however, are undaunted. Over the past
weekend dozens of young followers went from door to door trying to
persuade residents to see it the guru's way.