A day after his appointment as the first chief executive officer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Air Marshal (retd) Jeetendra Mishra arrived in Ayodhya on Thursday morning and held closed-door meetings with office-bearers, understanding finances, staffing and security protocols.
The CEO’s appointment is part of the trust’s efforts to overhaul the administration’s functioning following the controversy over alleged embezzlement of temple donations, which led to the arrest of eight people and the resignation of Champat Rai as general secretary. SOPs for the CEO specifying duties and responsibilities will be made in the coming days. The CEO’s role will combine temple administration, financial oversight, employee supervision, infrastructure management, pilgrim facilitation and inter-agency coordination, making him a crucial functionary in the management of the expanding Ram temple ecosystem. With the scale of pilgrim footfall and the supporting infrastructure continuing to expand, the CEO is likely to emerge as the key operational link between the temple trust, its employees and various government agencies responsible for security, traffic, transport and civic amenities.
Though Mishra has been appointed as the CEO, he has not formally taken charge of the post yet, people familiar with the matter said. “My heart is filled with gratitude, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been given this responsibility twice in my life — once in service of the nation, and now in service of Ram temple, devotees, and the administration of the temple,” Mishra said. Mishra attended another meeting on the trust’s accounts in the evening, which was joined by Giri, Krishna Mohan and other trust members at the Ram temple, trust sources said. He was briefed about various aspects of the trust’s functioning, including its administrative and financial arrangements, the sources said.
Govind Dev Giri said, “The trust members had a formal introduction with the new CEO today.
