MADURAI: Considering the safety and security of the historical monuments at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, the HR&CE department evicted 54 of the 66 shops from the temple premises on Sunday. The remaining 12 shops have moved court, seeking a stay on the eviction.
Official sources said special orders were issued to the HR&CE temple officials after the fire accident in Veera Vasantharayar Mandapam back in 2018.
“Since the accident severely damaged the structure of the Mandapam, we were directed to remove all the shops running within the Mandapams of the temple. Based on this order, officials relocated all 300 shops from the Puthu Mandapam (Vasantha Mandapam) to Kunnathur Chathiram. Also, the shops are an impediment to temple architecture,” they added. Officials had started evicting shops, which sell pooja items like flowers, on the East Gopuram of the temple from Saturday.
Meanwhile, the temple invited applications for the establishment of a hospital facility within the temple premises. Sources said the move was made considering the welfare of the devotees who arrive at the temple in case of medical emergencies.
The application process has started for the posts of officer and nurse. Rules state that candidates must belong to the Hindu religion and should be from Tamil Nadu. Candidates can avail applications through the temple website.