The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has proposed to undertake fire audit of electrical installations in temples under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department.
As part of the audit, a total of 47 senior grade temples have been identified for inspection, officials said.
A senior Tangedco official said that in the aftermath of the fire accident at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai, the Commissioner of HR & CE Department had requested the Electricity Department to carry out inspection of electrical installations in 47 temples.
Safety checklist
A circular was issued on June 11 with a schedule to undertake fire audit in these temples, by giving clear instructions to Executive Engineers in whose jurisdiction these temples fall.
The engineers have been issued a check-list for verifying electrical safety and will have to submit a report within the end of this month, along with safety measures to be carried out to prevent accidents in the future.
The officials will be verifying whether the electrical fittings, wirings and appliances have been installed as per safety norms.
The authorities will also check for exposed wires, whether the main switch boxes and meters are away from the reach of devotees and whether any high-tension line is passing through the temple.
The list of 47 temples includes Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane, Thiruverkadu Karumariamman Temple, Kapaleeswarar Temple, Palani Dhandayuthapaniswamy Temple, Oppiliappan Temple in Kumbakonam, Kamakshi Amman Temple and Devarajaswamy Temple in Kancheepuram.