TIRUCHY: The years-long wait for the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department to hand over alternate land to the city corporation continues to stall the latter’s project for the much-needed dedicated parking lot for tourists and pilgrims’ vehicles at Srirangam.
While the civic body has sent a reminder to the HR&CE department in the last week of February in connection with it, the latter is yet to respond, officials said. This continues to put visitors to Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and the locals alike at an inconvenience.
Following the city corporation in 2013 handing over a parcel of land measuring about five acres to the HR&CE department, the latter went on to complete its project for a Yatri Nivas on the property in 2014. The HR&CE department, however, is yet to hand over alternate land of equal size to the city corporation.
Last September, the matter came up in the council meeting when it was unanimously decided that the civic body would send a request to the HR&CE department for getting the compensatory land. In the same meeting, the corporation also announced that it would use the parcel of land to set up a parking lot for visitors to the Srirangam temple.
Following the council's decision, senior officials said that the corporation sent a request to the HR&CE department last October for getting alternate land. The latter, however, is yet to reply. "We had sent a reminder to the HR&CE department in the last week of February requesting their response to our request for the five acres of land. We hope that it will give us a favourable reply at least by this month," a senior corporation official said.
Meanwhile, the devotees and the visitors to the temple, particularly during auspicious occasions like Vaikunta Ekadesi when the footfall is in lakhs, continue to be put at inconvenience from the lack of a dedicated parking lot. During such occasions, the corporation usually arranges temporary parking spaces at multiple locations in Srirangam to address the demand.
Senior officials said the corporation wouldn't have to put so many temporary parking spots if it received the alternate land from the HR&CE department. "HR&CE department has land near the Yatri Nivas and we have requested for handing it over. If we get the land, it would be of great help to pilgrims.
Usually, during auspicious occasions like Paramapadha Vaasal (on Vaikunta Ekadesi), we would set up temporary parking spots in at least five locations. If we establish a parking lot on five acres in Srirangam, we may need only one or two temporary parking lots during such occasions," a source said. Meanwhile, sources said that the corporation's top brass is planning to raise the matter with Minister for Municipal Administration KN Nehru, if the HR&CE continued to ignore their request.