CCTVs boost income of KVT

VARANASI: Installation of close circuit television cameras has resulted in a surprise growth in the income of Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Yes, to check the theft of petty articles from different temples located on highly sensitive premises, the temple administration installed CCTV cameras at 26 points by October end. On the very first day of making the cameras functional, the officials had caught a priest pocketing the money offered to temple by pilgrims.His footage had been recorded by CCTV cameras.
It led to panic among priests, most of who were in a habit of keeping donations to themselves. However, when the donation boxes of KVT were opened after November end to count the collection of the month, a surprising growth was recorded in the total collection. Chief executive officer and additional commissioner (administration) SN Tripathi disclosed it to TOI: "Usually Rs 5-6 lakh are found in the donation boxes after every month. Such collection used to grow on occasions like Mahashivratri and Shrawan month. But, when the donation boxes were opened this time, the collection was over Rs 17 lakh despite the fact that no major festival had fallen this month."
Tripathi admitted that tricks adopted by some priests to pocket money donated by pilgrims instead of putting it in donation boxes had come to light during the monitoring of recorded footage of some CCTV cameras. The CEO said an impressive check has surely been put on the theft of cash donated to temple, but checking malpractices like ensuring entry of devotees during special aartis without making receipts against donated money by the clerical staff by forming nexus with some priests were still a major task.