Yes Bank Crisis: Servitors Demand Probe Into Jagannath Temple Fund Deposit

Puri: With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposing a moratorium on the Yes Bank citing serious deterioration in its financial position, the servitors and the civil society organisations have expressed grave concern over the deposit of the Jagannath Temple fund in the private bank.

Senior servitor Binayak Dasmohapatra questioned the rationale behind the state government’s decision to deposit huge funds in a private bank. “Let the state government order a thorough investigation and take stern action against the tainted officials,” he demanded.

Stating that the temple staff are provided with the monthly salary from the interest of the fixed deposit amount of the temple fund, he said there will be a serious crisis in the management of the temple if the fixed deposit of the temple fund kept in the bank is lost.

Convener of Jagannath Sena Priyadarshan Patnaik said a complaint on this issue was lodged in the Simhadwar police station. It remained as a station diary as the police did not take any step to investigate the truth behind the deposits, he added.

“Police take action against minor theft, but no steps have been taken to probe the deposit of the temple fund to the tune of Rs 545 crore in a private bank without the knowledge and permission of the temple managing committee and the Gajapati Maharaja. We have information that the fund was used by family members of senior officials for foreign tours. Besides, these officials have been provided with the temple fund money to purchase flats. If an impartial probe is ordered, the complicity of the officials involved in the embezzlement of the temple fund will be revealed,” Patnaik added.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) spokesperson Laxmidhar Pujapanda told Odisha Bytes that the fixed deposits in Yes Bank would mature on March 30 and the managing committee has decided to transfer it to any nationalized bank. He refused to comment on the Yes Bank crisis.

In February, the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee had decided to deposit the temples funds in nationalized banks. “The funds now deposited in a private bank will be withdrawn,” SJTA Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar had said.