BENGALURU: The state government’s work of surveying temple lands and properties has taken a hit because of the shortage of surveyors in the Revenue Department. The delay could compromise prime properties belonging to religious places, many of which have been encroached already.
Karnataka has over 34,000 endowment temples. Of them, 175 are Class A with an annual revenue of over Rs 25 lakh; 158 Class B with revenue between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, and the rest Class C with annual revenue of under Rs 5 lakh.
Endowments Department sources said temple properties, especially in prime areas, have been encroached by private parties and even government agencies. This is because of lack of proper surveys and land records and lands worth crores of rupees have been lost to encroachers. “We could have earned a handsome income from those properties, but private people are squatting on them. We need documents to
approach courts to contest ownership. The survey will give us a better data,” an official told The New Indian Express.
The Revenue Department has less than 4,700 surveyors, including permanent staff and licensed surveyors, while lakhs of applications for surveys are pending before the department. It could take years to clear the backlog, even as the list of pending applications keeps growing.
A senior department official said 340 surveyors will be employed and another 2,000 licensed surveyors will be engaged who will be on the field in the next three months. They will be part of temple surveys, but they can start work only after six to eight months.
Endowments Minister Ramalinga Reddy said he has directed officials to take up the survey of temple properties. “There is a shortage of surveyors. We will protect properties belonging to the Endowments Department,” he added.
The previous BJP government too had started the work, but could not take it up completely. In some districts, boundaries were marked, but nothing happened later.