TIRUPPUR: Former AIADMK minister Durai Ramasamy and two of his relatives have been removed from the post of hereditary trustees of a temple in Kangeyam by the HR&CE department after they failed to remove some individuals who encroached the temple land or get lease fee for the land.
Ramasamy and his relatives Vijay Natrajan and Sakthi Vadivel are hereditary trustees of the Maantheeswarar temple in Valliyarachal village, which according to HR &CE department records, has 120 acres of cultivable land.
For the past 50 years, these lands were utilised by private individuals without paying the temple. An official in the department said, “The land was donated by kings to the Mantheeswarar Temple in 12th-13th century. Durai Ramasamy and his relatives are aware of this and can identify temple properties.
The private individuals built houses and other structures in the land but have no proof of ownership. The trustees did not get lease money which runs into crores.” Further, the official said the temple owned over 310 acres of farmland.
When Inam Abolition Act was implemented, around 190 acres were distributed to locals and the hereditary trustee did not stop the distribution.
Durai Ramasamy’s son Venkatesa Sudarshan denied the charges. “My grandfather Duraisamy Gounder relinquished the hereditary post in 1958 when Inam Abolition Act was implemented. The family filed a suit in Madras HC, and my father Durai Ramasamy and uncle’s relatives became hereditary trustees. We identified the lands owned by the temple and submitted the records to the HR&CE Department. But, they didn’t take action against the individuals who have occupied and they are blaming us.”