AJANNA-SIRCILLA : A criminal case has been filed against the contractor for hair, Thala Neelalu, associated with the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy temple in Vemulawada. Reportedly, cheques totaling Rs 4 crore issued by the contractor to the temple account bounced.
From 2003 to 2005, Sumith Enterprises, owned by Nagaraju from Hindupuram, secured a tender contract for Rs 19.08 crore to collect hair donations from devotees. After paying Rs 50 lakhs for the contract, the agency agreed to pay Rs 79.17 lakh per month. By April 2024, only Rs 8.92 crore had been paid, but due to insufficient funds, subsequent cheques failed to clear.
As a result, the temple authorities stopped supplying hair to the contractor. Notices were sent to the agency, but no response was received. On October 9, the temple authorities approached the Vemulawada court, leading to the criminal case against the contractor, who is required to appear for a hearing on November 13.
Meanwhile, the contractor has requested that the state endowment commissioner allow him to keep the remaining hair stock, citing losses due to a lack of an international market. However, the commissioner did not grant any exemptions, as the contractor secured the tender accruing to rules.
Temple Executive Officer K Vinod Reddy told TNIE that three additional cheques from the contractor also bounced. The hair is currently stored in the godown and further action will follow the endowment commissioner’s directives.