Puducherry government to form eviction committee to reclaim encroached temple lands

Action follows rising complaints of encroachment on religious properties

The Puducherry government is set to establish an eviction committee aimed at reclaiming temple lands that have been encroached upon by individuals and organizations. This initiative comes in response to directives from the newly appointed Lt. Governor, K Kailashnathan, and aims to address growing concerns over the usurpation of temple properties.

The newly formed eviction committee will include key officials: the Deputy Collector, the Commissioner of Hindu Religious Institutions (HRI), the Tahsildar, the Superintendent of Police, a Surveyor, and a Police Inspector. This committee will have the authority to remove encroachments wherever violations of government temple properties are reported.

According to sources within the Puducherry HRI, a resurvey of temple lands will soon commence to assess the extent of encroachments on government temple properties. The HRI oversees the affairs of approximately 243 temples in the Union Territory. A senior official revealed that a 2017 report estimated around 200 acres of temple land were under encroachment.

The need for a resurvey arises from the fact that many temple lands have not been officially documented in the state government’s gazette. Following the resurvey, the government plans to begin the eviction process against individuals and organizations, including registered charitable societies and trusts, that have encroached upon these properties.

In a move to enhance the management of temple properties, the HRI department will also establish an IT wing to better operate the Integrated Temple Management System portal. Chief Minister N Rangasamy has instructed the HRI to update records of both movable and immovable properties related to the temples, as many details are currently missing from the portal.

A recent example of the government’s commitment to reclaiming encroached temple land is the successful eviction of occupants from a property belonging to the Eswara Dharmaraj Temple on Kamatchi Amman Koil Street. This property, which had been encroached for the past 30 years, spans 16,755.44 square feet and is valued at approximately Rs.3 crore. The reclaiming of this property followed a directive from the Madras High Court after Independent legislator G Nehru petitioned various authorities about the matter.

The eviction orders issued on July 30 were initially ignored by the occupants, prompting Nehru to escalate the issue to the Madras High Court. On July 31, the court mandated that the property be reclaimed within four months. Consequently, on October 22, HRI officials, accompanied by revenue officials and police, executed the eviction and secured the property, placing a cautionary notice at the site.

This proactive approach by the Puducherry government underscores its commitment to protecting temple lands and addressing encroachments that have persisted for decades.

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