Archakas stage road blockade for payment of pending salaries

Mahbubnagar: More than 600 archakas on Monday disrupted the vehicle movement on the national highway 44 at Beechupally. They raised slogans, demanding that the state government immediately implement the GO No. 577 and release pending salaries to them.

The archakas working in major government recognised temples were promised monthly salaries on a par with the government employees. However, even though more than 11 months passed since the government issued the Government Order, the Endowment Department did not implement the order and deprived the more than 5,620 priests of their salaries.

“We were very happy and expressed our gratitude to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao when he directed the officials to pay salaries to the priests. But, the officials had failed to pay salaries to the priests, they said.

The archakas took out a rally from the Beechupally temple and staged a road blockage on the national highway. However, the police swung into action and persuaded them to lift the blockade. Later the archakas held a Mahasabha and demanded that the government immediately direct the Endowment Department implement the GO 577.