Govt. fails to release Dasara funds for Kanaka Durga temple despite State-festival status

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The illuminated gopuram downhill of Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri

The Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam spent more than ₹10 crore on services and arrangements provided by various government departments for the annual Dasara festival last year, even though the State government had declared the festival a State festival.

The State government had issued a GO 3032 in 2015 declaring the Dasara festivities as a State festival. The order envisions that the concerned departments earmark funds for the conduct of State festivals. However, the temple authorities have been meeting the expenditure incurred by departments such as the police, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), Roads and Buildings, Irrigation and Fisheries, among others, whenever they cite shortage of funds.

The expenditure of other departments has been increasing year after year. While the budget for the Dasara festivities was around ₹23 crore last year, more than ₹10 crore was spent on the expenditure of government departments. According to sources, the Kanaka Durga temple footed the bill of about ₹1.25 crore for the police department. Similarly, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) dispatched a bill between ₹3-₹5 crore and the Fisheries department charged about ₹50-₹60 lakh for arranging boats and swimmers, adding to the list of other expenses.

The temple never incurred expenditure exceeding ₹5 crore for the festival arrangements. It had earmarked just ₹2 crore in 2010, but the budget gradually increased and reached ₹4 crore in 2015 in view of cost escalation. The temple’s expenditure then increased steeply in 2016 and touched ₹20 crore.

The budget for the festival normally increases by ₹2-₹3 crore every year, and so does the expenditure of other departments. Meanwhile, the State government has failed to release the funds since declaring Dasara as a State festival. In fact, the government has not released any funds so far. “The temple authorities have been washing their hands by writing to the government detailing the expenditure incurred by the temple for organising the festival,” said sources.

Meanwhile, temple employees pointed out that the government bears the expenditure for other festivals accorded State festival status, citing the Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara in Telangana and the Kotappakonda Tirunallu in Andhra Pradesh as examples. They said the same principle should be followed for Dasara at the Kanaka Durga temple.

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