Temple affairs a big task for EOs while few enjoy H.O. cushy stints

Hyderabad: The Endowments authorities seem to be emphasising more on big projects in major temples and turning a blind eye to the smaller temples even as day-to-day services get affected, as most of the temples are run by incharge executive officers. Most of the incharge officers stick to the head office on deputation, ignoring the temple they are allotted.

The situation is such that each executive officer is incharge of eight to nine temples. Going by the list of the executive officers in Hyderabad district alone, there are several executive officers who are incharges of temples other than their regular temple. According to the retired officials in the Endowments department, managing many temples is going to be a difficult task.

“The EOs will not be able to visit all the temples every day, and they cannot focus on the facilities for the devotees in these temples. The temples open between early morning and afternoon and later in the evening. Most of the EOs visit during the daytime, and when an EO is incharge for eight to nine temples, how can they manage? It is difficult to cover all these temples,” said a retired official.

As per the list of EOs in Hyderabad, one official is K Jayanthi, who is a grade-II executive officer for Sri Seetharamanjaneya Saraswathi Temple at New Nallakunta. She has been given the additional responsibilities of temples like Mohandas Mutt at Saidabad, Sri Hanuman Temple at Saidabad, Sri Hanuman Temple at Rein Bazar and Sri Shiva Hanuman Temple at Phoolbagh, Lal Darwaza, Sri Shivaiah Durgaiah Temple at New Nallakunta, Sri Lakshmi Ganapati and Matha Durga Devi Temple at Tilak Nagar, Sri Ram Mandir at Amberpet, and Shroff Kamalamma Charitable Trust, Barkatpura.

Similarly, grade-II executive officer K Samba Shiva Rao is the EO of Maisamma Devalayam at Lower Tankbund, but he has the additional charge of Sri Hanuman Temple, Shankar Bagh Kurdu, Sri Tulja Bhavani Temple, Shankarbagh Kalan, Sri Jagannatha Swamy Temple at Imliban, and Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple at Moosarambagh. Another senior official, K. Sreenivas Sharma, has nine additional besides his main temple, Sri Hanuman Temple, at Vijayanagar Colony.

According to sources, while the EOs have additional responsibilities, some work on deputation in the head office of the department at Bogulkunta. Sources said that some of the EOs who have responsibilities in temples in Rangareddy district have been adhering to the head office for a long time. It is learnt that these EOs were asked to report to their temples but were sticking to the head office. The retired officials want the government to set these conditions right in the temples in the State.