Bhadradri Ramaiah looking towards the government for financial help

Khammam: The famous temple of Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy at Bhadrachalam, popular as Ayodhya of South, is in severe financial crunch due to the lockdown, which has no money to pay April month salaries of the temple staff, priests, security and other employees.

The temple's income is from Hundi collections, tickets of various types of pujas, amount from leased lands. But, following the State government's orders of lockdown, the temple was closed from March 20. The temple management organised Brahmotsavalu during Sri Rama Navami but without a single devotee, incurring a huge financial loss.

The temple authorities had paid only half of the salary for all the staff for March month and kept pending the salaries of outsourcing employees and housekeeping.

Now they have to pay the salaries of April, which became a major problem for them. The temple authorities need Rs one crore for the maintenance of temple, guest houses, payment of power bills etc and another Rs 1 crore for staff salaries.

According to the temple officials, under normal conditions the temple grass income will be Rs 3 crores including the income during Mukkoti and Sri Ramanavami festivals and the expenditure will be around Rs 2.70 crore and they could save Rs 20 to Rs 30 lakhs every month.

The temple gets another Rs 1 crore per year by giving lands and shops on lease. A temple official said the situation is worst and it will become more worse if the lockdown continues.

Though the temple has deposits of Rs 70 crores in different accounts in different banks but the officials cannot withdraw money from deposits except general and reserve funds of Rs 6.23 crore. Even then that will be a lengthy process with the

government.

Speaking to the correspondent of this paper, Temple Executive Officer G Narasimhulu said that 50 per cent of March month salaries were already paid. The remaining half and April salary will be paid once the temple starts functioning again. The temple's annual income is nearly Rs 40 crore, he added.

State BJP core committee member and former MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy demanded that the State government should come to the rescue of the Bhadradri temple during the crisis by allotting Rs 5 to Rs 10 crore, which depends on hundi collections and fee from various types of puja.