No Leniency in Temple Lapses, Strict Action Inevitable: Anam

Nellore: Endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy on Wednesday made it clear that any negligence or wrongdoing in temples would invite strict action, irrespective of the persons involved. He said the government would not tolerate lapses in the management or sanctity of temples.

Speaking to the media at Anumasamudrampeta, the minister said inquiries had been ordered into recent incidents at the Draksharamam, Simhachalam and Nandyal temples, and that action had already been initiated wherever necessary.

He said the government had responded immediately to the incidents, conducted full-scale investigations and taken corrective measures. Acting on the directions of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, officials had been instructed to put in place strong preventive mechanisms to ensure that such incidents do not recur. Concerned district ministers have also reviewed the situations and issued instructions to district collectors and superintendents of police.

Referring to the incident at the Draksharamam Bhimeswara Temple in Konaseema district, the minister said the accused who vandalised the Shiva Lingam outside the temple was identified using CCTV footage. The act was found to be the result of a personal grudge and was carried out late at night. Endowments officials immediately installed a new Shiva Lingam and performed the prescribed rituals.

On the incident at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Nandyal, where fake silver articles were allegedly placed in place of original silver items, the minister said the deputy commissioner of the Kurnool endowments department had been appointed as the inquiry officer. He asserted that those responsible would not be spared until the original silver ornaments were restored to the deity.

Regarding the Simhachalam Appanna Temple, the minister said strict action had been ordered against a prasadam counter employee who behaved rudely with a devotee who reported the presence of a worm in the prasadam. An FIR has already been registered in the case, he added.

Reiterating that temple protection and devotee safety were top priorities of the government, the minister said even minor lapses were being promptly addressed to ensure a smooth and satisfactory darshan experience for devotees.

Highlighting the success of the Vaikuntha Ekadasi celebrations, he said Vaishnava temples across the State witnessed unprecedented crowds this year. While 5.40 lakh devotees visited temples last year, the number rose to 7.62 lakh this year. Celebrations were held on a grand scale at 32 major temples, with 68,000 devotees having darshan at Tirumala through lucky dip tokens.

Vaikuntha Dwara darshan will continue for another eight days, the minister said.

MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy and MLC Beeda Ravichandra were among those present.