HC: HR and CE Department alone cannot be blamed for sorry state of temples
The Hindu
The authorities, unmindful of the heritage value of various temples had licensed and leased out the temple property as well as the pragarams and verandas of the temples to traders to carry on the trad
The authorities, unmindful of the heritage value of various temples had licensed and leased out the temple property as well as the pragarams and verandas of the temples to traders to carry on the trading activity by selling articles which were unrelated and unconnected with the temple and the worshipping public, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court observed. A Division Bench of Justices T. S. Sivagnanam and S. Ananthi observed that these shops have virtually become shopping centres, if not shopping malls. In spite of the fire incident at the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, people have not learnt their lesson. If this was the case, the sorry state of affairs of the temples cannot be avoided, the judges said.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.