Bhubaneswar, March 2: A major chunk of the twelfth century Puri Jagannath temple’s budget would be spent on meeting establishment charges including salaries of the employees.

The budget estimation committee of the temple has pegged the budget for 2011-12 at Rs 59.61 crore. While the temple is expected to earn Rs 59.61 crore, it is likely to spend Rs 59.60 crore.

The budget would be placed for approval before the temple management committee on Thursday. “There can be some minor changes if the management committee desires,” said a senior temple official.

Sources said nearly Rs 13.66 crore would be spent towards establishment charges that include salaries, conveyances, pension, gratuity and medical bills of employees. The temple has 382 regular employees and a large number of non-regular staff.

The temple administration would spend Rs 4.11 crore to meet the expenditure incurred towards observing various rituals including the famous Rath Yatra.

After repeated cases of infighting reported between the sevayats and the priests last year, the temple administration has decided to focus on sensitising the sevayats on issues like being polite to the pilgrims visiting the temple. Rs 2.91 crore would be spent for training, educating and financial helping needy sevayats. Awards would be given to the best sevayats for rendering services to the temple.

Out of the total budget, nearly Rs 26.8 crore would be deposited in the corpus fund. “The corpus fund will touch a staggering Rs 182 crore. However, the temple administration does not spend a single pie for the development of Puri town. The entire budget expenditure is confined to the temple and the sevayats,” said Badri Mishra, spokesperson of the Jagannath Dharma Sanskruti Suraksha Samiti, which fights to protect the interests of the Jagannath cult.