Post News Network
Puri, Dec 8: The managing committee of Srimandir met Sunday to decide on a spate of issues such as alati darshan, servitor’s remuneration and scholarship for their children, maintenance of Narendra Pond and the issue regarding Puri Shankaracharya’s presence atop the Lord’s chariots during Rath Yatra.
Managing committee president and Gajapati King Dibyasingh Dev presided over the meeting, which was attended by temple chief administrator Bikash Mahapatra and district collector Aravind Agrawal.
In a crucial decision, the committee decided to stop issuing passes for the Lord’s darshan in the temple as it learnt that the pass system is often a cause for nuisance and indiscipline. About 50 passes were being issued in a month for the darshan, which is drawn through lottery system.
The committee has decided to hike the remuneration of temple servitors by 50 per cent. The revised remuneration would come into effect from January 2015. This apart, the committee has decided to begin a scholarship for servitors’ children in an attempt to encourage them for higher studies. Sources said the temple administration would oversee the Narendra Pond to ensure proper maintenance and cleanliness.
After the meeting, Agrawal informed the media that the committee has decided to take up the issues of temporary staffers of the temple with the government soon.
“Efforts are on to fill the 113 posts lying vacant for a long time and to create more posts so as to absorb the temporary staffers. The committee is also planning to introduce grade pay facilities for the temple staff as per government norms,” Agrawal said.
Moreover, the committee has decided to sort out the issue as to whether Shankaracharya alone would climb the chariot or if he can take his followers along during Rath Yatra.
