Devotees allowed to trek to Sathuragiri hill temple
The Hindu
They are advised to return to Thaniparai by 4 p.m.
Virudhunagar district administration on Monday started permitting devotees to visit Sri Sundaramahalingam Swami temple on Sathuragiri hills after a long gap. The authorities ensured that the devotees strictly adhered to COVID-19 guidelines.
With the spread of the pandemic in March 2020, the government announced the ban on trekking to the hill temple. As the number of positive cases started showing a declining trend now, the district administration accorded permission for devotees to visit the temple from 7 a.m. on Monday, officials said at Thaniparai in the foothills.
Around 440 MBBS graduates of 2021 are not required to undergo one year of compulsory rural service as per the bond signed by them while joining the medical course through government-quota seats in 2015 as the High Court of Karnataka has said the law, enacted in 2012 for mandatory rural service, remained unenforced for 10 years as it was published in the official gazette only in July 2022.