LUCKNOW In a move aimed at tightening cash-handling procedures and internal security, the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has mandated a one-piece saffron uniform without pockets for all employees involved in counting offerings, with security checks every time they enter or leave the counting room, said officials.
Information is being cross-checked with documents and records to maintain updated employee database. The trust has also introduced a new dress code and other guidelines for priests serving Ram Lalla. The new attire introduced on Janmashtami requires priests to wear yellow silk ‘achala’ and ‘uttariya’ – dhoti and cloth draped over upper body – replacing the earlier ‘chaubandi’ attire.
Cell phones will also be prohibited in the sanctum and other sensitive areas of the temple campus, with staff expected to leave personal belongings outside restricted zones. Employees have to wear the prescribed pocketless saffron uniform and sit on the floor during the counting process. A three-tier security arrangement has been put in place at the entrance to the counting room while CCTV cameras installed inside and around the facility are being continuously monitored. Officials have been asked to keep check whether all cameras are functioning properly. The trust has sought biodata of all employees working at the temple and its offices – educational qualifications, previous employment, current designation and responsibilities. The guidelines bar priests from carrying mobile phones into the sanctum and ask them to refrain from making statements about the temple on social media that could create misleading impressions. Priests have also been instructed to maintain courteous behaviour with devotees and remain at designated places during service. They must inform the shift in-charge and give reason before leaving the assigned place. Unnecessary conversations, group discussions and joking during service are discouraged. Priests are required to remain calm while dealing with any incident and seek guidance from designated officials.
The counting of offerings is conducted in two shifts and involves 36 personnel – 10 from the bank, four from the temple trust and 22 employees of an outsourced agency. The arrangement comes after new CEO Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra (retired) ordered clear definition of roles and responsibilities of all employees so that accountability for any lapse could be fixed.
“Earlier, there was no specific dress code for counting staff,” said a member of the Trust on Thursday. Apart from ‘bhog prasad’ provided by the temple, they have been prohibited from carrying anything from outside into the sanctum, said a member of the trust.
Special assistance to family members/acquaintances visiting for ‘darshan’ or ‘prasad’ is to be provided by acharya or under his direction. Any priest extending such preferential assistance independently will be held responsible. Helpers handling cleaning duties have also been instructed to count gold, silver and other metal vessels before handing them over and after receiving them back. The trust is also working on a system under which devotees may be welcomed with ‘tilak’ during ‘prasad’ distribution, as part of efforts to bring greater uniformity to visitor management and temple services.
