The Hindu : Front Page : Devaswom ordinance promulgated

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 05, 2007
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Devaswom ordinance promulgated

Special Correspondent

Provisions evoke mixed reactions from organisations and parties

Thiruvananthapuram: Governor R.L. Bhatia has signed the ordinance seeking to amend the Travancore and Cochin Devaswom Board Acts, leading to the dissolution of the two bodies. The dissolution has been achieved through an amendment that reduces the term of office of members to two years.

The number of members on each Board has been raised to three, of which one will be from the Scheduled Caste community and another a woman. The age limit for male members has been fixed at 50, while it will be 60 for women. The ordinance seeks to set up standing committees on finance, works development and devotional service for the two Boards.

The Principal Secretary for Devaswoms will be the special commissioner for both boards. The ordinance seeks to set up audit committees to oversee the functioning of temples. The audit committees are required to submit quarterly reports to the Government.

The Cabinet had recently cleared the provisions in the ordinance before recommending it to the Governor. The ordinance has been promulgated following allegations of corruption, and it will, in effect, ensure firm Governmental control on the functioning of these two bodies. The Board was last reconstituted in 2004, with the induction of two members.

The ordinance has evoked mixed reactions, but derived an extra mileage from the strong support the Government's action got from the Nair Service Society and the conditional support from the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam. The Yogam appeared to be cautious in its reaction, but welcomed the ordinance if it were to ensure reservation norms.

Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan, in an interview to a television channel, however, said the Government should have consulted Hindu organisations.

Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy said the United Democratic Front welcomed the ordinance if it were promulgated in the spirit of the aborted ordinance the Government run by it previously had planned to promulgate.

Another notable opponent of the Devaswom ordinance is the Nationalist Congress Party leader K. Karunakaran, who termed the move hasty and unjustified.

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