A few days after a private company's helicopter was found hovering over the world richest temple - Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Kerala - the District Police Commissioner has asked the State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb for measures to declare the area a no-fly zone. In 2011, an apex court committee had stumbled upon six vaults in the temple located in the heart of the capital city.
Five of the faults were opened and a massive treasure, estimated to be worth over Rs one lakh crore, was found there, following which the temple has for long become the centre of attraction for many. Only vault B is left yet to be opened. The erstwhile Travancore royal family, under whose control the temple runs, has been refusing to open the remaining vault, claiming it would bring a curse. Though the Kerala High Court had ordered that the family's rights over the temple had ceased with the death of the last ruler, the Supreme Court reversed the order in 2020 and upheld its administrative rights.
Now, the temple has the state-of-the-art security system in place with special police protection being provided by the Kerala police and it is now a high security area and all its activities are closely monitored by an apex court-monitored committee.
The request to make it a no-fly zone came a few days after a helicopter of a private company was found flying over the temple a few times. The SPC will have to approach the Director General of Civil Aviation to make it happen.
At the moment flying of drones in and around the temple area is banned.
(With IANS input)