Chennai: Devotees have objected to a Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department tender seeking to appoint private firms as consultants for new development works at the Balasubramaniyaswamy temples in Siruvapuri and Andarkuppam near Ponneri in Tiruvallur district.
According to the tender details cited by devotees, consultancy is proposed at Rs 2.5 crore for the Andarkuppam temple and Rs 5 crore for the Siruvapuri temple, for advising on basic amenities and improvement projects for pilgrims.
The move has drawn criticism because HR&CE already has an engineering wing and traditional sthapathis. Devotees say paying several crores to private consultants is unjustified and raises concerns about financial propriety.
T.R. Ramesh, president of the Temple Worshippers Association, said major works worth Rs 16.50 crore are already underway at the Siruvapuri Murugan temple, including a pilgrims’ lodge and queue halls. He alleged that calling for a fresh consultancy tender for similar needs amounts to financial irregularity.
Ramesh further claimed that under HR&CE law, capital expenditure and policy decisions should be taken only by a board of trustees, and that executive officers should handle only day-to-day administration in the absence of trustees. He also argued that sidelining traditional experts in favour of private consultants unfamiliar with temple architecture could harm the temple’s heritage, and demanded that both tenders be cancelled.
