Madurai: In an attempt to restore the pristine glory of the Saravana Poigai, the temple tank of Lord Subramania Swamy temple at Tiruparankundram in Madurai district, collector Veera Raghava Rao has directed the officials from various government departments to submit a proposal within the next 10 days.
“We are planning to restore the tank within next six months and allow it to be used only for rituals associated with the temple,” Rao told the Deccan Chronicle.
The authorities have woke up to the fact of increasing pollution in the tank only after thousands of fish were found dead in Saravana Poigai on September 5.
Besides taking steps to clean up the dead fish and improve the water quality in the tank, the collector directed the revenue and Hindu Religious Charitable Endowments department officials to conduct a survey to assess the factors that were causing pollution in the tank. “The survey revealed that the tank was polluted mostly by the floating population who visit the temple” said Rao.
On an average, 4,300 people used it for bathing and another 3,000 people used it for washing their clothes in a day. This apart, around 3,000 people were defecating in the open spaces in the areas around the temple tank. “The detergent used for washing and shampoos for bathing are found to be the major polluters,” he said.
To involve various stakeholders in restoration of the tank, the collector convened a coordination meeting with the temple, corporation and revenue officials, priests and representatives from all the political parties at the collectorate on Thursday evening.
After listening to their opinions, the collector asked the corporation and HRNC officials to identify the places close to the tank for the construction of bathing yard and washing yard. He also instructed the HRNC officials to manage the toilets which were constructed by the corporation on the eastern side of the tank to meet the requirement of the devotees with immediate effect.
The collector also instructed the officials check for encroachments in the supply channels that drain water to the tank and also the outlet of the tank. “If any encroachments are found in the supply channels, the corporation and PWD will take steps to remove it,” said the collector. “After the completion of this work probably within next six months, we will prevent the public from using it except for religious purpose," he added.
