79 acres of temple lands worth Rs 590 crore retrieved: Sekar Babu

CHENNAI: The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department has retrieved a total of 79.05 acres of temple lands valued at Rs 590 crore across the State, after the DMK government assumed power, said HR&CE Minister PK Sekar Babu on Tuesday.

The Minister visited Kapaleeswarar temple at Mylapore and inspected the facilities there since the temple has been open for devotees for the last two days. “Devotees are permitted to get darshan by adhering to standard operating procedure,” Sekar Babu told reporters.

Noting that the DMK government retrieved a total of Rs 590-crore-valued 79.05 acres of temple land across the State since assuming power, the Minister brushed aside the Opposition’s claim that the previous AIADMK government retrieved a total of Rs 3,500-crore-valued 8,700 lands belonging to temples. “If their claim is true, the Opposition must produce detailed reports of the lands they retrieved,” he said.