JD(S) MLC T A Saravana
Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: Pointing to the poor state of the Karnataka Bhavan in Tirumala-Tirupati, JD(S) MLC T A Saravana on Wednesday urged the state government to constitute a committee comprising both elected representatives and officials to oversee the maintenance and upkeep of Karnataka Bhavans across the country.
Saravana informed the Legislative Council that the Muzrai Department had spent crores of rupees on the construction of Karnataka Bhavans at prominent pilgrimage sites across the country to serve devotees from the state visiting these places.
He said, “In fact, at the Karnataka Bhavan in Tirumala-Tirupati, some of the doors of the rooms don’t have locks!”
The JD(S) MLA called on Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy to issue identity cards to all personnel at the Karnataka Bhavan and make biometric attendance mandatory.
Citing the rise in the number of devotees from the state visiting Varanasi, Saravana urged the government to also repair the Karnataka Bhavan in Kashi.
Reddy assured Saravana that renovation of Karnataka Bhavans was under way. “Next time, we will call for a tender for maintenance services, so we can ensure cleanliness at the Karnataka Bhavans. The Karnataka Bhavan at Kashi, however, sustained damage when the Ghat was renovated by the local authorities there,” he added.
Meanwhile, Reddy informed the Council that, within one year, the properties of all Muzrai temples would be registered in the name of the respective places of worship.
“Of the 36,000 acres belonging cumulatively to 34,000 temples across the state, we have already registered 15,000 acres in the name of the respective temples, and the rest will be completed over the course of one year,” he added.