THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Six months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the pilgrim amenities as part of the Swadesh Darshan project at Sree Padmanabhaswami temple, hundreds of devotees are badly hit by the lack of toilet facilities.There are just four old toilets with damaged roofing for devotees at present. They are situated in an old building. A part of the building was pulled down for constructing a new toilet complex. The new complex with 24 units, built as part of the I75.88-crore Swadesh Darshan project, is yet to be opened to the public.
A few other amenities as part of the project such as a cafeteria, handicrafts emporium and resting facilities are either halfway through or non-starters. Temple executive officer V Ratheesan said some finishing works delayed the opening of the new toilet complex. The facility would be thrown open to the public on Saturday, he said.
Meanwhile, the temple employees’ union has found fault with the management’s prioritisation of works and wastage of money. The temple administrative office is being revamped for the second time in six months. “In January, the office was shifted to the Ulsavamadom building after spending lakhs of rupees for flooring and furniture. Now, teakwood panelling is done on top of the vitrified tiles. The wooden flooring would cost a hefty sum,” said an office-bearer of the union.
Ratheesan said the teakwood panelling was being done at the VIP lounge situated in the Ulsavamadom building. “It is not a waste of money since a smooth flooring is required for wooden panelling. While the first revamp was done with the temple fund, the Swadesh Darshan fund was utilised for wooden panelling,” he said.
“The executive officer’s claim is a half-truth. Panelling work was first done at the administrative office and now they are extending it to the VIP lounge. This is a wastage of money at a time when the temple is seeking private sponsorship for renovation of the sanctum sanctorum and flag mast,” the union representative said. On January 10, four days ahead of the project launch by Modi, Express had reported that the inauguration function was organised in haste and most of the works would take months to be completed.