By IANS
Sabarimala (Kerala) : Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has called for an emergency meeting of state bureaucrats Monday to end the row over supply of ‘prasadam’ at the famed Sabarimala temple.
Devotees have not been receiving the prasadam even after a month since the temple opened for nearly two-month long festival. The temple authorities are still groping in the dark about the supply.
The annual festivities, that began Nov 17, have been plagued by a tiff among three officials of the Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), which runs the affairs of the temple. The TDB consists of president C.K. Guptan, and members P. Narayanan and P.K. Sumathykutty Amma.
The trouble started when the TDB took over the production of ‘prasadam’ after a contractor failed to supply the required number of prasadam cans. Nearly 125,000 cans are required for distribution among about 50,000 devotees who visit the temple everyday.
Devasom Minister G. Sudhakaran had vowed vigilance inquiry into the manner in which the two TDB members handled the prasadam supply. The minister has even asked the chief minister to appoint a senior IAS official to run the affairs of the temple.
“To end the impasse, Achuthanandan has called for an emergency meeting of state bureaucrats Monday,” Narayanan told IANS.
However, the board members have not been informed about the meeting, according to Narayanan.
“Despite our best efforts, there is a coterie which is playing dirty tricks”, badly hitting the supply, Narayanan said.
“Today (Sunday) morning, two lorry loads containing prasadam containers to Sabarimala were held up for several hours at a check-post near Punalur. Clear instructions have been given not to hold up materials for the temple. We know who are behind this and we want an inquiry into this.”
“There has been no coordination between the president, members and the minister,” Amma told a TV channel.
And adding to the misery came a serious shortage of cans and currently for the first time in the history of the famed Sabarimala temple, the prasadam is being given in buckets and steel vessels.
“I am really pained in the manner in which the prasadam is now being supplied in buckets. The majority of the pilgrims is from nearby states and do you think that the prasadam would remain fresh if it is given in buckets because it would take at least two to three days before they reach home,” said State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala.
Meanwhile, angry Congress activists, Sunday hanged Dewosom Minister Sudhakaran’s effigy in front of the state secretariat and demanded his resignation for his failure to ensure a smooth pilgrimage for thousands of people.
The Sabarimala temple is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. Devotees from across the country visit the temple during the festival time between November and January. In the last season, an estimated three million devotees visited the temple.