Garbage piles up near Chottanikkara temple

CHOTTANIKKARA: The Chottanikkara Bhagavathy temple is the most important temple under the Kochi Devaswom Board, as the temple fetches a major part of its income. However, for the last few months, the area near the temple has been lying littered with foul-smelling waste.The panchayat road along the northern gateway, the area near the Keezhkavu Bhagavathy Temple and the passage to Keezhkavu from Melkavu are unapproachable due to the month-old waste dumped there. A narrow stretch of road through Vadakke Pooraparambu, which is used by residents to reach the temple, too is in the same condition.Heaps of garbage could be seen just a few yards away from a banyan tree near the Keezhkavu Bhagavathy Temple. Devotees circumambulate this tree.Similarly, mounds of waste can be seen along the way to Keezhkavu Bhagavathy Temple from the main temple. So far, neither the Dewaswom Board nor the panchayat authorities have shown any inclination to give a thought to the issue. Thousands of devotees from Kerala and other states visit the temple regularly. The temple receives crores of rupees as offerings and donations. Yet, the Board is not at all bothered about keeping the temple surroundings clean.With monsoon, the situation has worsened as rotten garbage gets carried away with rain water to the main streets and other parts of the temple. This puts the health of pilgrims and residents at risk.  Some concerned residents approached the authorities fearing outbreak of an epidemic.However, the authorities have turned a blind eye towards this serious issue. Both panchayat and Board are engaged in various other projects, including construction of a new office complex and a multi-crore project to replace the tile-roofed bhajana madhoms around the temple with concrete roofs. But, the people are more worried about their health. A resident said, “These projects are secondary. Their priority must be to ensure hygienic surroundings.""We fear the outbreak of some epidemic anytime," he added."The Board must decide to launch some mission involving devotees to clean the surroundings of the temples," another resident said.