Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Commissioner Vinay has ordered a statewide field inspection of temple-owned land and commercial properties after an irregular lease arrangement on Chennai’s Old Mahabalipuram Road was found to have resulted in more than 50 unauthorised shops being constructed and sublet.
The commissioner has directed department officials to examine all commercial lease properties under temples in their jurisdiction and submit detailed reports after the Diwali period. The inspections must establish whether additional shops or other structures have been built in violation of lease conditions, and whether properties have been sublet without approval.
According to the circular reported by Dinamalar, officials have been instructed to visit the properties directly rather than complete the exercise by examining files in their offices. They must also review the action taken on earlier complaints and prepare evidence-based reports if new violations are identified.
The order follows the discovery of an arrangement involving temple land on the OMR corridor. A person who had taken the land at a relatively low rent had reportedly constructed more than 50 shops in violation of the applicable rules and rented them out to several occupants at higher rates. The commissioner subsequently cancelled the related rental agreement, according to the report.
Temple-owned land and commercial buildings across Tamil Nadu are leased or rented to individuals and businesses. The latest directive places the focus on whether leaseholders have altered the properties, expanded the built-up area, or created secondary rental arrangements without the department’s permission. It also requires officials to verify the physical condition and use of properties rather than rely only on departmental records.
The inspection will cover all commercial lease items under the temples controlled by the respective officials. Reports are to include details of any newly detected irregularities along with supporting evidence. The directive also requires each official to submit an individual, detailed report to the commissioner’s office after Diwali.
The order warns that departmental action, including suspension and demotion, may be taken against officials who are found to have been negligent in matters involving temple land, commercial buildings or rent administration. Such action could follow if irregularities come to light through public complaints after officials failed to act on them, the circular states.
The directive makes field verification the immediate administrative priority. The next formal milestone is the submission of the detailed reports by the department’s officials after Diwali, following inspections of temple-owned land and commercial properties across the state.
