Hyderabad: Focus on Major Temples, Neglect of Smaller Ones
The Endowments department in Hyderabad is focusing more on big projects in major temples, while smaller temples are being overlooked. Many of these smaller temples are struggling with day-to-day operations since they are managed by incharge executive officers (EOs). Unfortunately, many of these officers spend most of their time at the head office and neglect the temples they are supposed to manage.
Each executive officer is currently responsible for managing up to eight or nine temples. This situation is causing problems, as it is difficult for the officers to oversee all the temples effectively. Retired officials from the Endowments department have expressed concerns, stating that officers cannot visit all the temples daily or ensure proper facilities for devotees.
Temples typically open early in the morning and remain open until the afternoon, then reopen in the evening. However, most EOs only visit during the daytime, making it hard for them to cover all the temples they are responsible for. According to a retired official, it is almost impossible for an officer to manage eight or nine temples properly.
For example, one officer, K Jayanthi, is the executive officer for the Sri Seetharamanjaneya Saraswathi Temple in New Nallakunta. In addition to this, she is responsible for several other temples, including the Mohandas Mutt and Sri Hanuman Temple in Saidabad, as well as several others across the city. Similarly, another officer, K Samba Shiva Rao, manages the Maisamma Devalayam at Lower Tankbund and has additional responsibilities for four other temples.
Another senior official, K. Sreenivas Sharma, is the executive officer for the Sri Hanuman Temple in Vijayanagar Colony but also has the added responsibility of managing nine other temples.
Sources reveal that some of these officers, despite their additional temple duties, continue to work on deputation in the department’s head office at Bogulkunta. In fact, some officers who are responsible for temples in the Rangareddy district have been staying at the head office for a long time, ignoring their temple duties. Retired officials are urging the government to address these issues and improve the management of temples in the state.
