Ban on Mobile Phones in Temples Come Into Effect in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department's (HR&CE) ban on carrying cell phones inside major temples across the state has come into effect from Tuesday. 

The decision, aligning with earlier Madras High Court directives, was issued after it was noticed that devotees, especially youngsters, were shooting reels and taking photographs inside temple premises, flouting guidelines. HR&CE Minister Ramesh had announced in the Assembly that the ban would apply in major temples from September



1.

As part of the implementation, dedicated counters have been established at temple entrances to keep mobile phones brought by devotees, and a uniform token fee of  Rs 5 per phone will be charged. At the famed Devarajaswamy-Athi Varadar Temple in Kanchipuram, the scheme was rolled out from 6 AM today. 

Two computer operators and two assistants have been deployed to collect phones. The photo of the devotee, phone model and number are registered, and phones are returned after verifying the acknowledgement slip.