Solar Surveillance for Rural Temples: Chilkur Priest Initiative Becomes CSR Model

Hyderabad: The Chilkur Balaji Temple has facilitated the installation of 60 solar-powered surveillance cameras across remote village temples in the Moinabad region. This unique effort demonstrates how banks and temples can collaborate through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to strengthen social security in underserved rural areas.

The project has been made possible through generous CSR support from two major national banks — State Bank of India (SBI), which is sponsoring 50 cameras, and Union Bank of India (UBI), which is contributing 10 cameras. These cameras will enhance rural temple protection, ensure uninterrupted monitoring through solar power, and reduce vulnerability to vandalism and theft.

The handover of payment to the vendor was held at the Chilkur Balaji Temple premises in the presence of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rajendranagar K Srinivasa Rao, who praised the initiative as a timely and essential community safety intervention. SBI DGM Salil Shukla and Regional Manager Nithin Kumar highlighted that remote surveillance is being incorporated into CSR activities for the first time, marking this initiative as a scalable national model.

Moinabad Circle Inspector Pavan Kumar Reddy also participated in the program. The initiative was led by CS Gopalakrishna, Hereditary Archaka & Trustee, and CS Rangarajan, representing his father Dr. MV Soundararajan, Hereditary Archaka and Trustee. They emphasized that many rural temples around Chilkur suffer from inadequate power infrastructure and are prone to vandalism. Solar-powered surveillance offers a sustainable, reliable solution tailored to these challenges.

The installation of these cameras enables 24x7 monitoring, strengthens crime deterrence, and enhances the safety of devotees while introducing eco-friendly technology into rural temple ecosystems. Chilkur priest Rangarajan expressed gratitude to SBI, UBI, and the police department, affirming that this initiative is set to become a replicable CSR model for temple clusters across India.