Days after cracks were discovered on a part of the western tower of Sri Devarajaswamy temple in Little Kancheepuram, B. Raja, joint commissioner (Vellore) of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Board, on Thursday, said rectification of the defect was ‘a minor repair work’.
The JC inspected the crack that developed on the eastern side of the western tower and said the Board’s architect would inspect the crack and suggest ways to rectify the same.
When asked if a fresh estimate would be prepared for carrying out the repair, Mr. Raja said it was not a major work and there was no need to consecrate the tower again. It was just ‘a minor repair’ like replacing or fixing electrical fittings.
‘Renovation exceeded budget’
Meanwhile, the local representative who undertook renovation of the western tower on behalf of the donor said cost of works had exceeded the approved budget by around Rs. 8 lakh.
He said a work order of Rs. 25 lakh was issued and the renovation was completed on December 29, 2010. During renovation, it was found that eight wooden beams on different tiers of the gopuram (tower) had become weak and a few granite steps were found in a damaged state.
“The defective beams and damaged steps were replaced though they were not mentioned in the list of works suggested by temple authorities,” he said. The representative said that though a completion certificate had been obtained early in 2011, the tower was consecrated only in July this year.
Doors to be fixed
Responding to a query on why the doors to the eastern tower were not fixed prior to consecration, the JC said the doors would be installed in a week.
