Priests protest disparity in salaries

Visakhapatnam: A heated argument between the priests of Sri Kodandarama Swamy temple, Burujupeta, and the endowments department officials on Friday left the devotees, who had come to witness the Sitarama Kalyanam, disappointed.

K Muralikrishna, secretary of the New AP Priests Welfare Association at the temple, along with other priests, staged a protest by displaying a placard. The placard stated said that a priest who joined the temple in 1991 receives a salary of Rs 7000, while a junior assistant who joined the temple in 1993 received Rs 30,000 as salary. And an executive officer who joined the temple in 1995 receives a salary of Rs 80,000.

Learning about the protest, a group of endowments department officials reached the spot and entered into an argument with the priests at the temple.

When contacted, Muralikrishna said their protest was peaceful but it is the endowments department officials who threatened with filing criminal cases against us. Later, Both the groups lodged a complaint with One Town police.