36,000 priests to go on strike

Employees and priests working in various temples across the state will go on strike from Wednesday to press for their demands.

As many as 36,000 employees working in 18,000 temples will take part in the strike, said Telangana Archaka Samakhya district president and Thousand Pillar temple chief priest Gungu Upendra Sharma, Archaka Samkhya state vice-president Parasharam Narasimha Charyulu and general secretaryT Ratnakar and Bhadrakali temple chief priest B Seshagiri Rao.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, they said apart from the early morning rituals,  there will not be any Arjitha Sevas for two days beginning Wednesday.

They said they will stage a dharna near the endowments office on August 10, lay siege to the Endowment Ccommissioner’s Office on August 11 and organise a ‘Chalo Hyderabad’ programme on August 12.

They voiced concern that the Endowments Act  amended in 2007 for the benefit of priests and temple employees was not being implemented and decried the apathy of the government in redressing their problems.