Thiruvananthapuram: District sessions judge K P Indira has assumed charge as the chairperson of the Administrative Committee for the discharge of the day-to-day functioning of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple on Friday. T
he keys of all the chambers holding the wealth of the temple, except the ‘E’ and ‘F’ chambers which contain utensils required for daily rituals, have been officially handed over to the chairperson. The Supreme Court, in its interim order on April 24, has directed the formation of such an interim committee with the District Judge as chairman, if he is a Hindu.
Since the District Judge Sunil Thomas was a non-Hindu, the choice automatically fell on sessions judge K P Indira. Besides the sessions judge, the Administrative committee will have as its members the three tantris of the temple, the chief nambi, and two members to be co-opted by the chairperson, of which one will be in consultation with the state government.
The Administrative Committee will have to immediately address the following issues: one, protection of ‘kannikaipura’ or offerings chamber and its surveillance by installing CCTV cameras; two, accounting of offerings at least once a week, preferably on a Saturday, in the presence of the chairperson; three, cleaning of the passage above the chambers within the Sreekovil; four, cleaning of Temple tanks in a time bound manner by a credible agency; and five, improvement in living conditions of police personnels guarding the Temple.
