Staff stir: Puja suspended at 24 temples in Mysuru

Puja and other rituals were suspended at 24 temples under the Chamundeshwari Temple Management Board in the city, including the ones on the Mysuru Palace premises and atop the Chamundi Hill, as the employees launched an indefinite protest on Friday.

The employees launched the protest after the talks with the district administration failed on Thursday. The employees are demanding a 30% hike in their salaries, pension and medical benefits.

The priests performed puja in the morning and joined the protest with other employees of the respective temples. No prasadam was distributed to the devotees.

As it was Friday, the temples received a large number of devotees. The devotees expressed displeasure as the ticket counters and prasadam counters remained closed.

The devotees themselves performed puja at Jwalamuki Tripurasundari Devi temple at Uttanahalli.

The temple premises were littered as the house-keeping staff too joined the protest. Members of Karnataka Sena Pade, as a mark of support to the employees and to pressure the government to fulfil their demands, will stage a protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Saturday.