Though the government has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to digitise the register at the Devaswom strongroom, the board is yet to take steps to comply with the order.
The valuables offered at temples by the faithful are kept at the strongroom.
In a letter (No. Dev 2/20/2018/Rev) to Devaswom Commissioner N.Vasu on June 26 last year, Additional Secretary M.Harshan directed the TDB to take necessary steps to digitise the details of the valuables in the Devaswom strongroom and submit a report to the government within a month.
The letter said the proposed digitisation should be on the lines of the digitisation of the strongroom of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Kerala High Court too had issued similar directives to the TDB earlier, highlighting the importance of digitising the strongroom register to ensure its safety.
Digitise details
The Cochin Devaswom Board, Malabar Devaswom Board, Guruvayur Devaswom, and the Iringalakkuda Koodalmanikya Temple Devaswom too had been directed to digitise the details of the valuables kept at the strongrooms. However, none of these Devaswoms had reportedly taken any step to comply with the government directive.
TDB stance
TDB president A.Padmakumar told The Hindu that the board had decided to digitise the Devaswom strongroom and the physical verification of the 10,413 items stocked there was progressing at Aranmula.
He said the TDB decided to make its strongroom hi-tech to ensure the safety of the valuables kept there.
Physical verification
He said physical verification of 82% of the valuables kept at the strongroom was over and the process was expected to be completed in three months.
