Jajpur: Devotees are allegedly being fleeced at the Biraja temple in Jajpur town while purchasing ‘Anna Prasad’, a report said Tuesday.
Devotees visiting the temple from outside the state are not only fleeced but are also given inferior ‘Anna Prasad.’
Anna Prasad is a preparation of rice and vegetable curries which is cooked in the temple kitchen and offered to the presiding deity Devi Biraja and later put up for sale to devotees.
This has sparked resentment among devotees and they criticised the temple administration for allowing this.
This started after the temple administration did away with the practice of inviting tenders and opened a centre to provide quality ‘Anna Prasad’ to devotees.
As per tradition servitors are required to cook the Anna Prasad in the temple kitchen and serve them to devotees.
However, the move by the temple administration has not been of much help to the devotees as the group managing the centre is charging exorbitant rates and serving inferior Anna Prasad.
There is no provision for supplying Anna Prasad to devotees through tenders in any temple in the country. However, the leaseholder who has obtained the tender is violating the conditions laid down in the tender order.
The conditions stipulate that the leaseholder is required to prepare Anna Prasad with superior quality rice (Arua), dal, vegetables and also use ghee. But the leaseholder is using inferior rice, dals and cheap oil in place of ghee.
The temple administration has fixed Rs 35 as the price for a plate of rice, dal, curry and khata, but the leaseholder is charging Rs 60 for the same from devotees.
Although it is mandatory to put up a price list of the Anna Prasad at the temple, the leaseholder has not yet put it up even though six months has passed after finalisation of the tender.
The leaseholder is also supplying other kinds of food to devotees at high rates during marriages and thread ceremonies and they are not offered to the temple’s deity. This has increased waste and stink at the temple, but the leaseholder has not done anything to remove them.
Narayan Chandra Dhal, the sub-collector-cum-chairman, of the temple managing committee said the centre was opened to provide quality ‘Anna Prasad’ and that he will conduct a probe and take action if price list is not displayed at the temple. PNN
