Currency notes worth Rs 200,000 rot in temple donation box as millions go hungry in Bihar

PATNA: This is something which goes against the humanity. In a state where about 14 million families are said to be living below poverty lines (BPL) with hardly to eat and survive, Indian currency notes worth around Rs 200,000 have decayed or in a state of being decayed soon. The said money was donated by the Hindu devotees to a local temple in Bihar over the past four years.

The distressing incident has been reported from a temple located in Purnia district of Bihar, known for abject poverty and backwardness. The temple dedicated to Lord Ram and his family is managed by the Bihar State Religious Trust Board.

Temple authorities said the hard currency notes put into the donation box by the visiting devotees got rotten up as it was not opened in the past four years owing to the running feud between the old temple management committee and the new temple management committee. The truth came to light after the new committee which took over the temple management only recently opened the donation box on Monday to count cash.

“On an average, Rs 50,000 is donated to the temple every year. That means the Indian currency notes worth around Rs 200,000 have got rotten,” temple founder and committee’s vice-president Rohit Yadav told the media on Tuesday.

He asked the local district administration to take note of the matter and initiate action against the guilty officials. “This is indeed a very serious matter, as more than spoiling money, this is a cruel joke with the sentiments of the innocent devotees. Now, the administration should find out as to with whose negligence the money has gone down the drain and punish the guilty,” Yadav demanded.

He threatened to move the court if the local administration did not identify culprits and punish the erring temple committee officials.

The incident is a reminder to April 2011 affair when staffs at the State Bank of India in Uttar Pradesh were blamed for allowing termites to eat their through banknotes worth some ten million of rupees. Prior to this, termites had eaten away a trader’s saving worth around Rs 400,000 stored in a bank locker in Bihar in 2008.

Image Credit: Akhilesh Mishra