Velayudhan appointed Monitoring Panel Chairman

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government has appointed M Velayudhan Nair, conservation expert, as the new Chairman of the five-member monitoring committee constituted by the Supreme Court to prepare the inventory of the treasures inside the vaults of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Velayudhan Nair replaces C V Anandabose, whose term under the Union Government as the Director of the National Museum had expired last month.The Supreme Court had left it to the State Government to consider giving an extension to Anandabose as the head of the expert committee so that there would be no discontinuity in the functioning of the committee.However, the government issued orders appointing Velayudhan Nair to the post without considering an extension for Anandabose. Additional Chief Secretary to government K Jayakumar would remain as the nodal officer for the inventory.The next meeting of the expert committee is slated for November 9. Though it is not sure whether the meeting would be postponed following the new developments, it is learnt that the committee would soon submit proposals to cut down the sum needed for inventory preparation.