Taking charge at a crucial phase, Jayakumar vows to restore trust in Devaswom Board

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Taking office at a crucial phase as the state debates the role of the Devaswom Board, K Jayakumar assumed charge as the president of the Travancore Devaswom Board on Saturday and said the new governing committee must respond to the clear expectations of devotees. If the faith of devotees has been shaken at any point we will ensure such situations are not repeated and that trust is fully restored. I see this responsibility as the call of the time, he said. He said the board will build on the reforms initiated by the previous committee and move ahead with changes that may even be radical. Former chief secretary K Jayakumar who has long experience handling administration in Sabarimala took charge at a time when controversies surrounding the shrine are at their peak. Govt in a fix over term extension of Travancore Devaswom Board president Newly appointed member K Raju also took oath at the ceremony. K Raju who is a former minister, said his strength in taking office now is the presence of Jayakumar as president. He said he would make every effort to serve the devotee community during his two-year term, a short period compared to that of an MLA or minister, and that he would work fully in accordance with the plans laid out by Jayakumar. The term of the board is two years. Jayakumar and Raju took charge after former president P S Prasanth and former member Ajikumar stepped down on November 13. Earlier, the government and the party had decided in principle to grant an extension to P S Prasanth. The plan was dropped after the High Court criticised the functioning of the board under his leadership. The ceremony was attended by ministers V N Vasavan,V Sivankutty, G R Anil and Kadannappalli Ramachandran. The third member P D Santhosh Kumar who is a CPM leader took charge at the end of July and can complete a full two-year tenure as per the rules.