Endowments Department wraps up probe

SIMHACHALAM: The three-day visit of inquiry officer and joint secretary of Endowments, OVR Reddy to the Simhachalam Temple, for probing into the slip-ups during Chandana Yatra, concluded here Friday. He verified the roadmap of the annual festival and checked its related documents, photographs and video footage. He inquired devasthanam executive engineer DGS Raju as regards the arrangements and recorded the statements of temple’s main priest M Seetharamacharyulu and others. Also, he observed the pending civil works in the temple.Later, addressing newsmen Reddy said he wrapped up the probe and would submit a detailed report to the Endowments commissioner soon. Sources say that the police, Revenue and engineering officials, temple staff and priests have blamed devasthanam executive officer Ch Narasinga Rao for the lapses during Chandanotsavam.The temple administration did not make the necessary arrangements for the annual fair. In contrast, the EO argued that the district administration poked their nose into their affairs and issued thousands of VIP passes, putting the crowds to inconvenience.