CHENNAI: The cell phone security counter at Tiruttani reopened on Tuesday, with the temple authorities announcing that devotees could deposit their mobile phones free of charge. Following the announcement, devotees queued up to hand over their phones before entering the temple.
However, the move has drawn opposition from devotees, who said the additional process would further increase their waiting time, according to a Daily Thanthi report. Devotees already have to wait around two to three hours for darshan, and they said they now have to spend nearly another half an hour depositing their phones and about 30 minutes collecting them after darshan.
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department had banned devotees from carrying mobile phones into 58 temples under its control in Tamil Nadu. Under the new arrangement, which came into effect on September 1, devotees can deposit their phones at designated counters before entering the temples.
At Tiruttani, the fifth of the six abodes of Lord Murugan, a counter was set up for this purpose, with a fee of Rs 5 being charged for each phone. Following strong protests from devotees, the counter was closed last weekend, and devotees were allowed to switch off their phones and carry them inside the temple.
The counter has now been reopened, but without any fee. Devotees, however, have expressed dissatisfaction over the time spent at the counter and urged the authorities to find a more convenient arrangement.