The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Temples decide to play it safe

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 04, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Temples decide to play it safe

Special Correspondent

To take the tender route for procuring ingredients required for prasadams

HYDERABAD: Temples in the State coming under the purview of the Endowments Department will not hereafter purchase the ingredients required for making laddus and other prasadams and for providing free meal to pilgrims from Government agencies such as Markfed, Fedcon, HACA, GCC and the Khadi Board.

Instead, they will be procured through tenders based on open market prices. The Endowments Department has issued orders to this effect after finding that some of the Government agencies were charging higher rates while supplying poor quality stuff. Executive officers of the temples in the state have been asked to immediately switch over to the tender system. According to the new orders, each temple will have two committees of five members each -- one for procurement and the other for quality checking.

Speaking to The Hindu here on Thursday, Endowments Commissioner A. B. Krishna Reddy referred to several complaints from public against the inferior quality of items.

Hereafter, sealed tenders would be invited through newspaper advertisements for purchase of the items. However, the Government agencies have been given the facility to participate in the bidding . Executive officers of the temples have been asked to go by the lowest price prevailing in the market.

`Fair rent' panels

In another change, the department has sought constitution of "Fair Rent Committees" in districts for suggesting the level of enhancement in the present lease amounts collected on agriculture lands belonging to temples enjoyed by tenants. Another set of committees are to be formed for similar hike in lease amounts covering buildings, shops etc rented out by temples.

Mr. Reddy said they had also imposed restrictions on the temple authorities issuing newspaper advertisements indiscriminately.

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