Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple fire: 12-member panel set up to renovate Vasantharayar Mandapam

The team, which inspected the affected areas, would give their opinion about the damage shortly, temple officials said.
The East Tower of Meenakshi Temple, Madurai which was engulfed in fire. (File photo | EPS)
The East Tower of Meenakshi Temple, Madurai which was engulfed in fire. (File photo | EPS)

MADURAI: A 12-member committee has been constituted to renovate the Vasantharayar Mandapam which was affected by the recent fire in the Meenakshi temple here, officials said today.

The team, which inspected the affected areas, would give their opinion about the damage shortly, temple officials said.

District collector Veera Raghava Rao said the team, including officials from electricity department, endowment board engineers, agama and sthapatis (temple engineering architects), would restore the mandapam to its original grandeur.

A detailed estimate would also be prepared and the work would be undertaken shortly, an official said.

The temple had enough funds to undertake the work, he added.

Meanwhile, the temple executive officer Natarajar issued notice to all shop owners inside the temple premises to vacate before February 8.

The notice has been issued to 115 shops in the premises.

A temple shop owners welfare association functionary Nagarajulu said livelihood of 500 families would be affected if they were asked to vacate suddenly and demanded alternative sites for running their business.

He denied that shops had been sublet to non-Hindus.

A massive fire broke out inside the premises of the Meenakshi temple in which about 40 shops were gutted on the night of February 2.

However, no one was injured.

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