Matihani Municipality distributes blankets to priests, saints

By Our Correspondent,Mahottari, Dec.26: Blankets have been distributed to the Sadhus living in Laxmi Narayan temple  in Matihani Municipality of Mahottari district to protect them from the biting cold.Matihani Municipality and Nepal Red Cross Society jointly distributed the blankets to 25 saints and priests living in the temple. 

Hari Prasad Mandal, Mayor of Matihani Municipality, said that they distributed blankets and warm clothes to the Sadhus and priests to protect them from the  shivering cold of winter.“More clothes and blankets will be distributed after collecting records of the poor, disabled and destitute living in the municipality,” he said. 

Mayor Mandal said that his main role was to protect the residents from the cold wave recurring in the area every winter. Stating that efforts were being made to manage firewood and additional blankets Mandal said that works to distribute warm clothes had  started and it would continue until winter ends. 

The mayor also directed all the ward chairmen of the municipality to work with a plan to protect the residents from cold. “Risk of cold will be minimised by distributing firewood and warm clothes,” he added.

Red Cross Matihani sub-branch chairman Ram Kumar Mandal, Secretary Ram Ekwal Purve, Education Coordinator of Matihani Municipality Chandeshwar Sah and others were present in the blanket distribution programme.

Meanwhile, police had arrested Jagannath Das Shastri, chief priest of the same temple, a few days ago, for his involvement in a fraud. Das was accused of faking the signature of  Assistant Chief District Officer of Rupandehi to release money from Megha Bank. 

Money received from selling the land of the monastery was in the bank in Rupandehi and Das was accused of withdrawing more than Rs. 7 million from the bank by faking the signature.