The authorities of Subramanya Swamy Temple at Thiruparankundram, one of the 52 temples across the state where use of camera phones was recently banned, have decided not to charge devotees for dropping their phones in secure lockboxes, after the visitors complained of long waiting time in queues.
Madurai: The authorities of Subramanya Swamy Temple at Thiruparankundram, one of the 52 temples across the state where use of camera phones was recently banned, have decided not to charge devotees for dropping their phones in secure lockboxes, after the visitors complained of long waiting time in queues. The temple authorities rolled back the Rs 5 fee for securing the phones. The temple has two stations with a total of 554 mobile phone lockers, each capable of holding around 10 phones.
Officials said accepting online payments was difficult as many devotees still pay only in cash and due to spotty network coverage around Thiruparankundram hill. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Madurai | Silver Rate in Madurai | Bank Holidays in Madurai | Public Holidays in Madurai | Madurai AQI | Weather in Madurai | Petrol Price in Madurai | Diesel Price in Madurai | CNG Price in Madurai | LPG Price in Madurai Stay updated with the latest Madurai news.
Officials said scrapping the nominal fee has sped up the experience for devotees, who are able to quickly submit their phones and record their details before entering into the temple. S Ramanathan, a devotee, said scrapping the fee provided a more seamless experience when submitting phones. “The rule must be properly enforced,” he said.
The mobile phone ban was made to preserve the sanctity of the temple space. a week into the implementation, the process hit bottlenecks with struggles to process receipts and secure exact change for devotees arriving with bigger bills While devotees welcomed the decision. He highlighted a lack of proper enforcement of the rule, noting that many still snuck in with their phones and took pictures. Download the TOI App.