TENKASI: For decades, a significant portion of the 707-acre Vasudevanallur Chinthamaninathar Temple land, spread across four revenue villages, has been allegedly in the hands of "encroachers", including politically influential persons, according to officials from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) and revenue departments.
On February 6, HR&CE Joint Director (Thoothukudi) M Anbumani wrote a letter to Tenkasi Collector A K Kamal Kishore, in response to a petition submitted by social activist T Suresh seeking the recovery of encroached land. According to the letter, accessed by TNIE, more than 20 people have been identified as "encroachers" on land parcels located in Vasudevanallur, Naranapuram I, Naranapuram II, and Subramaniyapuram revenue villages. An HR&CE official, on condition of anonymity, said, "The temple leased its land in the 1970s and 1980s to farmers solely for cultivation. However, the 'encroachers' later acquired the land by offering them money, which is illegal, without proper registration. Many of those farmers have died, and even their legal heirs cannot possess the land now."
In the letter, the joint director also identified a politically influential person, who is running educational institutions in Vasudevanallur, as an "encroacher". A private sugar and chemical mill has allegedly encroached upon farmland in four survey numbers in Naranapuram II revenue village. Anbumani also stated that the Industrial Training Institute of the mill has encroached upon a parcel of land by constructing a compound wall and that another parcel was being used to dump chemical waste from the facility.
Another encroacher has been allegedly using the temple agricultural land to operate a paver block manufacturing unit. One parcel of farmland has also been allegedly encroached upon by the Vasudevanallur town panchayat administration. He added, "Despite writing to the executive officer of the panchayat twice, demanding the removal of paver blocks laid on the land, the administration has not responded."
Land recovered from government school
Activist Suresh, who had petitioned the CM's Special Cell regarding the issue, told TNIE the HR&CE department recovered 3.87 acres of the temple land that was being used as a playground for the students of Government Higher Secondary School in Vasudevanallur, despite opposition by parents and activists. "If the department can recover land used by a government school, why can't it recover the rest?" he asked, urging the state government to form a committee for the same.
When contacted, an official said the HR&CE administration has been taking steps to recover the temple land from all the persons identified as encroachers. "The executive officer of the temple has issued show-cause notices to most of the encroachers. Several files seeking action are pending before the Arankavalar Committee chairperson. In one instance, a case is pending before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court," the official added. Meanwhile, the executive officer of the temple has been transferred.