Thrissur: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in the temple town of Guruvayur on Saturday to offer prayers at Lord Sree Krishnan Temple, a slew of long-pending projects are awaiting the immediate attention of the Union government. Devaswom officials, devotees organisations and the activists in Guruvayur say they pertain to the infrastructure development, both for the temple town and the temple.
C.V. Vijayan, former assistant manager with Guruvayur Devaswom, along with K.G. Sukumaran Master, activist and resident of Guruvayur, who have fought several legal battles in High Court and Supreme Court for the past three decades for the cause of the temple town, said that even after a High Court division bench ordered the acquisition of 100 metre of land on all four sides of the temple in 1998, till now only the southern part on the temple, the acquisition has been completed.
“In 2011, upholding the safety of the temple the Ministry of Home Affairs of Government of India had sent a letter to Kerala Chief Secretary for immediate acquisition of 100 metres of land surrounding the temple and keep it devoid of any construction in view of improving the security of the temple. But, after the acquisition 100 metres on the southern side and 25 metres on other three sides of the temple during the term of Gur-uvayur Devaswom Mana-ging Committee (GDMC) chairman Thottathil Rave-endran in 2006, no acquisition has taken place even after Supreme Court rejected the plea of the Devaswom managing committee and some other parties to do away with further acquisition,” C.V. Vijayan said.
In view of several youths joining ISIS from Kerala in the past few years, both the Union and state governments need to take immediate action to implement the SC orders and the direction of the Union Home Ministry in 2011, he noted.
Another issue is that of the inordinate delay in commissioning the sewage treatment plant for the temple town for which the works had started more than 25 years ago.
“The state government has been seeking extension of the deadline put in place HC to complete the project for several years now,” says K.G. Sukumaran Master who moved the court against the delay in completion of the project.
Present GDMC chairman K.B. Mohandas said that the state government had now stopped all acquisition process and it would not be a part of the proposal the GD would be submitting to PM as he arrives at the temple town on Saturday noon.
“We have a proposal for upgrading the Elephant Sanctuary of GD near the temple and our cattle farm (goshala) at Malappuram. Besides that, we are seeking upgradation of railway facilities for the temple town. We will also request PM for projects as a part of the Prasad Scheme and similar schemes of Union government meant for temple towns across the country,” Mr Mohandas said.
After the temple visit, Mr Modi will attend a public meeting at the ground of Sree Krishnan College in Guruvayur on Saturday.
