A section of servitors of the 12th Century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri on Tuesday demonstrated before the shrine demanding its reopening for the general public.

They said that closure of the temple in the wake of corona pandemic has ruined them financially and they were facing a livelihood problem.

“Unlock process has already started in the country and many religious institutions have been opened. Then why the delay in reopening this temple? Many servitors are struggling to arrange two square meals a day. They also have medical expenses. How will we survive if the temple remains closed?” said senior servitor Damodar Mahasaura.

On being pointed out that the temple was giving them a monthly allowance of Rs 5000, Mahasaura said: “How can one run a family on Rs 5000? The families of servitors depend on the donations of devotees. If they don’t come, we will not be able to sustain our families.”

The servitors demanded that devotees should be allowed into the shrine with strict adherence to the Covid guidelines.

“Only 50 devotees should be allowed at a time into the temple. They should be asked to go in a queue maintaining required physical distance,” he said.

However, several servitors opposed the idea of opening the temple.

“We have lost around 8 servitors. More than 600 servitors are in home isolation. The corona pandemic is at its peak. In winter, the situation may get worse. We should not take any risk,” a senior servitor told The Telegraph.

“The administration is not in favour of opening of the temple till the end of November. According to government directives the temple will remain closed till October 31,” said a senior official of the temple.