Temple entry for non-Hindus: Govt. to initiate dialogue

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 13. The Minister for Devaswoms, Mr. C.K. Nanu, said here on Friday that the Government was initiating a dialogue on allowing non-Hindus who believe in temple worship, into temples. The Minister said the LDF would discuss the issue shortly and the Government would take a decision before its term was over.

Mr. Nanu said it was unfortunate that the Guruvayur temple authorities conducted a `Punyaham' after the Congress(I) leader, Mr. Vayalar Ravi's son visited the temple following his marriage ceremony. Such incidents ought to be prevented and the Government hoped this could be done through the Guruvayur Devaswom Board by issuing appropriate directions.

He noted that Mr. Ravi's son was a Hindu though his mother was a Christian. The Supreme Court, in a case, had taken the view that one is a Hindu if one's father is a Hindu.

Mr. Nanu said the Government intended to take no adventurous steps in the matter. It felt that the objective of the Government could be achieved by going slow on the matter. The idea was not to punish anyone on what had happened but to prevent such things in future. The LDF Government, he added, never intervened in the day-to-day functioning of the temple. The Devaswom Board too had no right to intervene in the day-to-day observations and rites at the temple.

He said that personally he was of the view that believers like K.J. Jesudas and Yusafali Kecheri should be allowed to enter the temples. However, all believers needed to be consulted before a decision was taken.

The Minister said the Government was taking steps to enforce the Kerala Forest (Vesting and Management of Ecologically Fragile Lands) Ordinance. The advisory committee to identify lands which are ecologically fragile for takeover under the Act had been constituted with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (General) as its chairman. Dr. R.V.G. Menon, Director of the Integrated Rural Technology Centre and Mr. Kunhikrishnan, Joint Secretary, Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi, would represent non- governmental organisations in the field of forestry and conservation of nature on the committee.

Bus fair

Mr. Nanu said the political leadership was trying to avoid a hike in bus fair despite the increase in diesel prices.

The Government had represented to the Union Government to withdraw the prices, he said and expressed the hope that the Centre would do so. Private bus operators had already announced their strike plan.

The KSRTC was bearing an additional fuel expenditure of Rs. 2.98 crores a month. If the Centre did not relent, he would have to bring the matter before the LDF for a decision.

Mr. Nanu said the KSRTC now operated 4,317 buses and 4,113 schedules. Though 23,000 private bus operators had been issued permits, only 14,000 were operating. The bus operators complained that their daily operating costs had gone up by Rs. 300 per bus. Mr. Nanu said the KSRTC's collection which was Rs. 45 crores each in June, July and August had gone up to Rs. 47 crores in September.

He said the Managing Director of the KSRTC, Mr. James Joseph, had resigned on his own. A new Managing Director would be appointed in a few days.

Mr. Nanu said there was no friction between him and Mr. Joseph as claimed by the latter. He did not interfere in the daily functioning of the KSRTC. The Managing Director had made no such complaints at the time of resigning, but only later. As to the inquiry sought by the Director Board of the KSRTC into some of the actions of Mr. Joseph, the Government would take appropriate action when the recommendations came to the Government.

The issues included the Managing Director's decision not to take over the land proposed to be acquired for the bus stand at Inchackal in Thiruvananthapuram. The Director Board was competent to address smaller issues.

Mr. Nanu said there were no divisions in the Board with Mr. Joseph as the Managing Director. Decisions were unanimous. However, some Directors had questioned or expressed different opinions on certain matters and that was their job.

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