Temple told to revise staff salary

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Sri Vaithianathaswamy Temple administration in Vaitheeswarankoil in Sirkazhi, Nagapattinam district, to revise the salary structure of its employees and forward the same to the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department for approval, within four weeks.Justice M M Sundresh, who gave the direction last week, also told the joint commissioner of HR&CE to pass appropriate orders within eight weeks thereafter on the proposal from the Devasthanam, the petitiner herein.Holding that what had been given to the employees was nothing but a pittance, the judge said, “when the employees of the petitioner Devasthanam are placing the grievance of the public to the Almighty God, they themselves should not suffer in the performance of their duty. Their grievance should be addressed in their own interest and also in the interest of the public,” the judge added.The judge was disposing of a writ petition from the Devasthanam, represented by its hereditary trustee Gurumaha Sannithanam of Dharmapuram Adheenam in Vaitheeswarankoil.