Nagpur: With religious places remaining shut due to Covid-19 restrictions, donation boxes have been rendered empty since more than seven months and charity work has come to a standstill.
Office-bearers of the Hazrat Baba Tajuddin Trust, the advisory body of Ganesh Temple (Tekdi) and Shree Sai Baba Seva Mandal (Sai Mandir) told TOI that the prolonged lockdown has deprived them of regular donations ranging between Rs70,000 to Rs1 lakh per day and now, they are left with no choice but to prematurely unlock fixed deposits (FDs) to continue with their charity work.
L Dhoble, president, advisory panel of Ganesh Temple, popularly known as Ganesh Tekdi Mandir, said that in the coming months, the temple’s balance will become nil if the state government doesn’t allow reopening of religious places.
According to Dhoble, before the lockdown, the average donation of the temple was Rs1 lakh per day. It is now zero. With the available funds, the temple can barely survive for three odd months and can only pay staff salaries. “Due to irregularities committed by the previous committee, there was a mess up of nearly Rs6.5 crore,” alleged Dhoble, adding, the temple is now left with gold worth Rs13 crore.
Avinash Shegaonkar, secretary of Shree Sai Baba Seva Mandal, said the extended lockdown has badly affected the temple’s charity work. “The average donation of Sai Mandir is between Rs2 crore to Rs2.5 crore. However, with seven months gone, there are no signs from the state government regarding the reopening of religious places. The temple has lost almost Rs1.5 crore,” said Shegaonkar.
Despite the odds, the temple is continuing with its charity work like free meals to destitutes and devotees every day. The temple also helped the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to strengthen its Covid-19 treatment at the Imambada Isolation Hospital with a Rs31 lakh donation to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
“We have started utilizing funds from our fixed deposits to keep our charity work going. Salaries to the temple staff, bills like electricity, water and property tax have to be paid” added Shegaonkar.
Amanullah Khan, executive member of the Hazrat Baba Tajuddin Trust, said the Bada Taj Bagh of Syed Mohammad Baba Tajuddin also known as Tajuddin Baba, too, is reeling under a severe financial crisis. Meals to the poor have been discontinued. According to Khan, the trust used to provide nearly 4000 meals to the destitute twice a day. The number of people given free food on Thursdays and Fridays was approximately 10,000, more than double compared to the other days. The trust is also struggling to pay staff salaries which amount to Rs8 lakh per month.
Dragon Palace Buddhist Temple, an important religious place for Buddhism in Kanhan, too, is sailing in the same boat as the others. Former minister and founder of Dragon Palace Sulekha Kumbhare said, “The extended lockdown to keep religious places shut has kept donors at bay. In such a situation, it is difficult to meet committed expenses, including maintenance of such a big monument and staff salaries. This year, we did not organize functions in a big way which actually helped in terms of savings.”
Despite the hurdles, Dragon Palace is continuing with its social works like distribution of 1 lakh masks, ration kits and providing jobs to underprivileged women.
Barring a few devotees who offer prayers from outside, there is hardly anything to write home about. While many priests have taken a salary cut, hawkers selling puja items and flowers, who line up outside religious places, too, have been hit hard and are waiting for divine intervention to bail them out.