Madurai fire: Hindu outfits demand action, many feel shops shold be removed from temple

BJP, Hindu Munnani and other outfits have demanded action against authorities for failure to take preventive measures to avoid the fire mishap at the Madurai Meenakshi temple.
The blaze at the Madurai Meenakshi temple is an example of the inept administration by the Hindu Charitable and Endowments Department, founder-organiser of the Hindu Munnani, Rama Gopalan, said.

In the wake of the fire that broke out at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple on Friday night, Sahitya Akademi Award winner Su. Venkatesan and archaeologist C. Santhalingam have called for relocating the shops operating on the temple premises.

major fire broke out inside the premises of famous Meenakshi temple in Madurai in which atleast 40 shops were gutted, police said. However no one was injured, they said.

Temple authorities ruled out any sabotage and said electrical short circuit in one of the shops selling pooja articles caused the fire late last night.

The fire caused extensive damage to the 7,000sqft, 400-year-old Veera Vasantharayar Mandapam, with a portion of the ceiling caving in. The blaze also destroyed 36 shops on the temple premises.

"The temple staff had little knowledge about fire-fighting and the premises did not have sufficient equipment to fight fires," temple protection committee state general secretary T Sundaravadivel said.