If it cannot be moved
A pooja room in the fire corner puts worship next to heat, which the tradition avoids — not as a grave fault but as a mismatch. Where it cannot be moved, keep it screened from the kitchen and never share a wall with the hob.
What the South-East governs
The south-east — Agneya — is the fire corner, and it is where fire belongs. The kitchen, the boiler, the electrical load: the tradition puts heat here because heat placed elsewhere is held to disturb the zone it lands in.
Where the Pooja room belongs
The pooja room belongs to the light half of the plan. The tradition puts it where the first sun falls and keeps it away from anything heavy, wet or waste-carrying — including sharing a wall with a bathroom, which matters more than the compass point.