THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has made identity cards mandatory for employees at its temples. All temples have been directed to maintain a daily register showing the exact duty time of each employee.
A circular in this regard was sent to the temples in the backdrop of complaints of ill-treatment toward devotees by some staffers. The Board had received complaints from devotees at the Chettikulangara Devi Temple, Kottarakkara Ganapathy Temple and Thiruvallam Sree Parasurama Swamy Temple. Following this, the vigilance wing of TDB conducted inquiries and submitted recommendations to avoid such complaints in the future.
The TDB has also asked temples to prevent the entry of people other than staffers in the ‘nalambalam’ or the inner courtyard. There were complaints from some temples that non-staffers were guiding people inside the ‘nalambalam’.
The temples have also been asked to keep proper records on temporary staffers. “A separate attendance register should be kept for them and the wages should be paid after verifying the entries in the book,” the circular said.
The circular has also asked chief priests of major temples who assign temporary helpers at their expense to get prior sanction from the management. “The chief priests should submit details of such persons, including address, copy of Aadhaar card and a conduct certificate, to the management,” the circular stated.
The TDB has decided to act tough on employees who do not obey its direction for cordial behaviour to the visitors, it is learned. Earlier, the Board had sent circulars to temples calling for professional behaviour by employees towards visitors. They were asked to be pleasant to visitors and offer services without delay.