Apex court orders cleanliness of Kerala's iconic temple by May 15

The Supreme Court has ordered for the restoration of the famous Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and directed Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to clean the water tanks and take measures to stop sewage and construction debris from flowing inside the temple premises. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, D.Y. Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul have ordered the authority to complete the required work by May 15, 2017. The court asked amicus curiae and senior advocate Gopal Subramanium to coordinate and keep a check for the timely completion of the cleaning work and report on a fortnightly basis to the Supreme Court on the progress made. The government has fixed an estimate of ?28 lakh for the cleaning work. The court said speed is essential and that was the exact reason why it wanted a government body to do the work instead of inviting tenders from outside. The court had the oncoming Monsoon in mind when it decided on a tight deadline for finishing the cleaning project. Advocate Subramanium submitted that the temple tanks were filled with filth and the priests were finding it increasingly hard to take a dip before participating in the temple rituals. “ How can the priests bathe in such water... this is injustice,” said advocate Subramanium. He also put up a point during the hearing that money would pour in from devotees all over the world once the Supreme Court gives a direction to clean up the tanks. The court further ordered the temple's administrative committee to issue notices within a week to invite expressions of interest from experts who can restore the Padmanabhaswamy temple deity made of Katu Sarkara Yogam, the structure of the roof of the sanctum sanctorum and the temple tanks. The court said the committee should invite offers for the three works separately, although all the three could be granted to a single person. In a short submission, the Kerala government said that reparations and management of the temple property and premises should be brought under a legislative framework similar to the Guruvayoor Devaswom Act of 1978, governing the upkeep of yet another famous temple, Sri Guruvayoorappan Temple in Thrissur district of Kerala. As far as the cleaning of the temple tanks, the government stepped in to say that it was ready to do the work as a one-time measure.

The direction of the Supreme Court for the cleanliness of the infamous temple was much required. The condition of the water tanks was turning worse with each passing day and it needed restoration orders soon. It is appreciated that strict time duration for the completion of the cleanliness is ordered by the court keeping the approaching monsoons in mind. The temple attracts a lot of foreign tourists and restoration of the same will only add to the tourism revenue of the state.