Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim on Tuesday asked temples under the Endowment Department to prepare a photo-catalogue of their gold and silver ornaments.
At a meeting of temple administrators in the district he said that all the ‘A’ and ‘B’ category temples should conduct valuation of the gold ornaments and prepare photo-catalogues by August 15 and silver ornaments by November.
One copy of the photo-catalogue should be kept in the temple, another in the respective office of Assistant Commissioner of the division, and the third copy in the office of the Deputy Commissioner of the district.
A.R. Prabhakar, Endowment Tahsildar, said that eight of the 24 ‘A’ class temples had completed the photo-cataloguing process of gold ornaments.
The government in a recent order asked the temples to do the valuation of the ornaments from the valuers on the panels of nationalised banks. The process of valuation should be done in the presence of the revenue tahasildar of the region, and the process should be videographed, he said.
He also suggested the inventory registry of gold and silver ornaments in temples be updated by March 31 of every financial year.
Mr. Prabhakar said that temples are classified as ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ based on their annual income. Temples having an income of more than Rs. 25 lakh a year are classified under ‘A’ class, and those with an annual income of Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh are classified under ‘B’ class. Those having an annual income of up to Rs. 5 lakh are classified under ‘C’ class.
Dakshina Kannada district has 24 ‘A’ class temples, 35 ‘B’ class temples and 432 ‘C’ class temples, he said.
The Deputy Commissioner also directed to take steps to install closed-circuit television cameras, burglar alarms, fire extinguishers, lightning arresters in such temples which did not have them. Such equipment should be inspected by the police, he said.
Mr. Prabhakar said that the Endowment Department had come out with a circular in 2011 urging the temple administrations to provide 31 basic facilities to the devotees who visit the temple. He urged the temple administrations to take steps to implement them soon.
