Malabar Devasom Board employees to stage token protest

The Kerala State Temple Employees Coordination Committee has threatened strong protest measures if the issues faced by the employees of the Malabar Devaswom Board (MDB) are not addressed soon. A token protest will be held at 11 a.m. on July 21, marking the 31st anniversary of the 1994 Kerala High Court order that led to the formation of the board.

V.V. Sreenivasan, chairman of the Coordination Committee, pointed out that none of the directions in the High Court order—apart from the formation of the Board—had been implemented by the State government, despite the political changes over the years.

The temples under the MDB still follow the Madras Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, instituted during the British era, while other Devaswom Boards in the State follow different legislation. As a result, employees under the MDB are denied many of the benefits enjoyed by their counterparts in other boards. This has led to several disputes over the wage structure of MDB staff. Meanwhile, a comprehensive Devaswom law framed by the State government eight years ago is yet to be implemented.

The coordination committee had staged a 64-day-long protest a few years ago, which failed to achieve the desired results.