The State government has decided not to award work to PST Engineering Construction, the private contractor, who developed the tenements at K.P. Park, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P.K. Sekarbabu said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters following an inspection of the work in the Kapaaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, he said the decision was based on a report submitted by IIT Madras researchers. “The contractor has been asked to repair the damages. The structure is good. But the finishing has been faulty,” the Minister said.
The State government has permitted places of worship to remain open during the festival season, following the demands of people from all religions, Mr. Sekarbabu said.
“The decision to open places of worship was taken after Chief Minister M.K. Stalin conducted a review meeting with officials of various departments. The decision was not taken because of pressure from political parties. There should be no politics pertaining to the decision about places of worship,” he said.
“People belonging to all religions have given their good wishes to the Chief Minister because of this decision. We have instructed officials to ensure that people follow COVID-19 prevention norms. There has been no cases of crowding, and temple officials have been empowered to take decisions about distribution of prasadam,” Mr. Sekarbabu said.
The Chief Minister is expected to take a decision about the consecration of temples shortly, he said. Answering questions about the appointment of employees in colleges run by the HR and CE Department, the Minister said only Hindus are eligible for appointment in such colleges because of the existing statutory provisions.
