MYSURU/HUBBALLI/MANGALURU: In districts across the state, local officials and temple administrators are rushing to put in place checks and measures to ensure that there is no repeat of the tragedy at the Kichgutth Maramma temple in Sulwadi, Chamarajanagar, where poisoning of prasadam on Friday caused the deaths of 13 devotees.A large number of shrines follow the dasoha (charitable) system in distribution of prasadam and food, but many lack a proper mechanism to check for hygiene and safety — let alone foil a deliberate attempt to subvert their bestintentions, as investigators suspect was the case at the temple in Sulwadi in Chamarajanagar district. At larger shrines, however, administrators insist that they already do everything possible to ensure that safety is not compromised in mass-feeding events. Others say they are increasing supervision to prevent serving unhygienic food.At the Suttur Mutt in Nanjangud, Mysuru, which thousands of devotees throng every day, dasoha is one of the major attractions. So, too, at one of the state’s richest shrines, Male Mahadeshwara Swamy temple in neighbouring Chamarajanagar district, which serves food to devotees thrice each day.BB Kaveri, the Chamarajanagar DC, told TOI that the Male Mahadeshwara Swamy temple kitchen is equipped with surveillance cameras. “No unauthorised person is allowed in the kitchen or storerooms,” she said. “We have a dedicated officer to monitor the dasoha system and there have been no complaints.”In the Chamundeshwari Temple, administrators said they follow several precautionary measures and have two officials to monitor food being prepared for devotees. “We prepare food with RO-filtered water,” said KS Prasad, executive officer of the temple. “There are CCTV cameras in the kitchen and dining halls.”In Hubballi’s Siddharoodha Mutt, which feeds between 3,000 and 5,000 devotees daily, administrators are taking stricter measures while preparing prasadam.“We are taking all precautions in preparing prasadam,” Siddharoodha Swami Mutt Trust chairman Devendrappa D Malagi said. “To avoid any contamination of the prasadam, the mutt has banned entry of unauthorised people in the kitchen and has installed CCTV cameras in the kitchen and dining hall.”In Dakshina Kannada , too, where shrines are widely praised for the quality of the prasadam and food they serve devotees, temple administrators said they will not let down their guard.MH Ravindra, executive officer of Kukke Subrahmanya temple, the richest temple in the state, said the shrine has a dedicated health officer to check the quality of food and hygiene in the kitchen.“We have obtained a licence from the food safety officer and our kitchen workers always wear aprons and gloves,” he said.The temple feeds an average of 15,000 devotees on Saturday and Sunday and 8,000 people each weekday. The temple also supplies lunch to educational institutions in the vicinity.

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