Sangh Parivar

Thiruvananthapuram:
The prime reason cited by the Devaswom Minister to bring new Devaswom
ordinance was to eliminate corruption from devaswom Department and in
the guise of stopping corruption, a New Devaswom ordinance was passed
which ensured Temple looting and PSC appointments in Temples so that
they can push more communist sympathisers as happened in the case of
Kerala university appointments.

Ever
since the new Board of Sudhagaran took charge under the so called
Corruption free Devaswom Ordinance, The Temple administration stooped
to ever time low , The CPM interested only in


Temple


money interfered in each and every aspect and corruption in the Board escalated to ever time high.  

Mangalam
daily exposed widespread corruption in the appointment of temple
priests (Pujaris) in temples under Travancode Devaswom Board. There
were vacancies for 68 Pujaris and the board has received 350
applications. A board member has collected two to three lakhs from the
candidates as bribe .The board has also dumped a 14 year old law to
protect these illegal appointments.

Interviews for these posts were held in three stages. In the interview the Thantri
can award up to 60 marks out of hundred to each candidate .The rest 40
marks are given by the board members. One member did not put any marks
deliberately. The idea was to add enough marks for a given candidate to
qualify for the post after the interview is over.

The
member, after collecting lakhs of rupees from the candidates, demanded
the board to convene a meeting to finalise the short list. But when the
president and the other member informed that short list has already
been finalised, the member argued that no mark has been given by the
member. The member has blocked the list from being published.

It
is the member’s son who is pulling the strings from behind and the main
agent who collected money is a Personal Assistant of a former Board
Member. The political leader who was instrumental in the appointment of
this member is also involved in this fraud. A recently appointed senior
official is also involved whose three relatives have found their way to
the short list.

It is also confirmed that big amounts were withdrawn from the bank accounts of candidates and their parents, last week.

It
is also reported that there is widespread corruption in transferring
devaswom employees. Recently the board has cancelled an order that came
into force in 1944 regarding appointing women in sub groups.

The
order prohibits women below the age of 50 from being appointed in
subgroups. After cancelling this order, the board has appointed some
women employees in key positions in sub groups after taking huge
bribes. The bribe was taken depending on the income of the temples in
which they were appointed.