The Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here has installed two sophisticated wireless connectivity-enabled biometric fingerprint scanners for its staff. The Biometric Attendance System has been installed with a view to boosting both security and administration of the temple.
R. Padmanaban, Joint Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and Executive Officer, told The Hindu on Friday that the temple was the second in the State to install such a system. The other one was Kamakshi Amman Temple located at Mangadu in Chennai suburb.
“Our main purpose is to monitor movement of temple staff as their presence is vital to regulate the huge flow of devotees during the Chithirai festival which began on Thursday. We also plan to extend this system to our sub-temples in the city,” he said.
While the Meenakshi temple has 23 sub-temples, most are located in remote areas with one in Sivaganga district. Only five sub-temples are located within the city. The finger scanner system is enabled with GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), a standard for wireless communications.
Hence, it could be seamlessly linked to the main system at Meenakshi temple.
Wireless connectivity
Elaborating on the technical aspects of the system, which is installed at a total cost of Rs. 1.25 lakh, he said that it could store the biometric details of 3,000 personnel. All the 300 temple staff had scanned two fingers and could use either of them to enter the temple.
The system, put into operation since Wednesday, would ensure that no one impersonated the temple staff. While one wireless system is installed at the Executive Officer's premises, another wired one has been kept at the internal temple office near the entrance to sanctum sanctorum.
The system near the temple office is wired as the cell phone signal jammers at the sanctum sanctorum and another near the Mukuruni Vinayagar Sannidhi will interfere with the signals.
