The Hindu 14.03.2013
Court summons civic official
The Madras High Court Bench here on Tuesday summoned the
Rameswaram Municipal Commissioner to reply to a public interest
litigation petition filed by a woman-lawyer alleging that visitors to
Ramanathaswamy Temple had to suffer from contagious diseases owing to
“nauseating, annoying and utmost unhygienic” conditions around the
temple.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Chitra
Venkataraman and Justice S. Vimala directed the Commissioner to be
present in the court on March 19.
The order was
passed after the advocates representing the petitioner and the temple
made contrary claims over the maintenance of the shrine.
Both of them produced photographs to substantiate their respective claims.
In
her affidavit, the petitioner, M. Vennila (43), said that she visited
the temple on May 5, 2012 along with her family and was shocked to see
the temple’s Agni Theertham polluted with human excreta discharged from
public toilets constructed close to it.
Her family
had to be hospitalised after taking a dip in the Theertham, believed to
purify human soul and body as per Hindu sanathana dharma.
She
claimed that hundreds of other pilgrims also faced a similar plight
with the only exception being VIPs who were accorded special treatment.
She also complained of the menace of “brokers” who demanded exorbitant
amount, apart from government fixed charges, from the devotees for
performing religious customary practices such as getting the holy water
sprinkled on them.
“Exorbitant amount of money is
demanded and procured by undue influence and force. Left with no other
option, the poor devotees part away with whatever cash they have to
heartless brokers who share the collection with the authorities and
their henchmen,” the petitioner added.