Kerala HC directs appointment of nodal officer to ensure cleanliness at Chottanikkara temple

Kochi: High court has directed Cochin Devaswom Board (CDB) to designate a nodal officer and a team of officers working under him to ensure the time-bound implementation of the Suchitwa Mission report regarding cleanliness and waste management practices at the Chottanikkara Devi Temple.A bench of Justice V Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice K V Jayakumar further directed the board to place on record its views on the implementation framework suggested in the report, to enable HC to issue appropriate directions for its effective implementation without delay. HC was considering a suo motu petition initiated, based on a complaint accompanied by photographs depicting widespread filth and decay, including in the temple kitchen and surrounding areas.When the matter was taken up on Wednesday, additional photographs of a water dispenser and various portions of the temple premises were placed before HC. The court observed that the images were deeply disturbing. They indicated that, despite repeated judicial directions, effective measures had not been taken to ensure cleanliness.HC further noted that in the report submitted by the devaswom commissioner, although it was stated that steps would be taken to implement the Suchitwa Mission recommendations, the actual measures undertaken so far fell far short of what was required. The court also criticised the commissioner's submission that, though tenders were invited for waste management, no response was received. HC observed that the estimates appeared to have been prepared in a casual and perfunctory manner. Projects of this nature require detailed implementation plans and properly prepared project reports before inviting tenders. In the absence of clear specifications and technical details, it is unrealistic to expect responsible contractors to come forward. Moreover, the three months sought by the commissioner even to prepare an estimate was, in the circumstances, wholly inordinate and indicative of a lack of urgency, HC said.