Temple priests demand salary hike

Employees and priests’ associations of temples in the city met at the Kesari Hanuman Temple in Begumpet on Wednesday to chalk out an action plan for the grant of salaries to the employees under the control of Endowments Department. The meeting was held in the backdrop of the Telangana government’s decision to hike the salary of its employees by 43 per cent.

The associations demanded the government to pay salaries immediately through the Treasury (010) accounts of the State and scrap Rule 65 (A) of the Endowments Act. Bethi Rangareddy, president, Greater Hyderabad Temple Employees Sangam, said, “There are 1,135 temples in the city of which 127 are under the control of the endowments department.

It is unfortunate that no independent endowment commissioner has been posted in Telangana since the formation of the state. I urge the temple priests to fight for their salaries to be paid as per the Treasury (010) accounts.” “KCR promised to correct the salaries and wages of the temple employees during the Sankala Janula Samme in 2011. We trust that he will fulfill his promise,” he added.

The associations plan to submit a memorandum to KCR soon to hike their salaries and plan to go on a hunger strike from April 1 if their demands were not met. The meeting was attended by Gangu Bhanumurthy, president, Telangana Archaka Sangam (TAS); P Narasinga Rao, convener, TAS, Chinnam Mohan, president, Telangana Temple Employees Sangam; Venkateswara Sarma, general secretary, TAS, Krishnma Chary, working president, Greater Hyderabad Employees Sangam and Challa Krishna Moorthy, chairman, Greater Hyderabad Archaka Sangam.

By:Ch Saibaba