HC orders notice to officials on PIL

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court today ordered issue of a notice to the state government on a PIL seeking a direction to provide basic amenities to pilgrims visiting Dhandayuthapaniswamy temple at Palani and removal of encroachments near the shrine.
Admitting a petition filed by A Radhakrishnan, a social activist, a division bench of Justice M Jaichandran and R Mahadevan ordered the notice to the Secretary to Tourism and Hindu Religious Endowment Board and Dindigul District Collector.
The petitioner said the temple was one of the richest in the state with lakhs of pilgrims visiting it during festivals. The hill temple area was maintained by the Joint Commissioner of the temple and the municipal area by the Commissioner of Municipality and district officials.

He alleged that the officials failed to provide proper amenities like water and roads to the temple town and holy water bodies, including the Vaiyapuri Kulam and Shanmughanathi, were highly polluted.
Representations were made to the officials concerned to provide amenities to the pilgrims. Despite the District Collector holding two meetings in 2013 on his representation and urging the officials to provide amenities, they failed to take any step in this regard, he alleged.
He sought direction to the offcials to provide basic amenties as per the recommendations made during the meetings held by the Collector.