The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has recovered 3,102.54 acres of land and other plots, buildings worth ₹3,082.68 crore belonging to temples, which were encroached.
According to a statement issued by State HR&CE Minister Sevur S. Ramachandran, in the last two years the Department has recovered plots measuring 691 grounds plus 1,177 sq ft and buildings measuring 237 grounds plus 1,591 sq ft in the last two years.
The statement cited legal cases as one of the hurdles in recovering encroached assets belonging to temples. It said based on instructions of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, lands belonging to 35,371 temples along with the documents were being verified and this task would be completed soon.
So far, 6,839.54 acres of assets belonging to 1,049 temples, the patta has been changed in the name of temple from individuals.
On the issue of idols being stolen from temple, the statement said adequate measures have been put in place and information has been gathered on idols smuggled abroad. A multi-pronged strategy would be adopted to recover them. The details of 3,42,000 idols belonging to temples under the control of the HR&CE have been digitised.