HR&CE dept recovers Rs 15crore worth temple land near Salem

SALEM: Hindu religious and charitable endowment (HR&CE) department on Tuesday recovered 9.27 acre of temple land in Salem district after evicting encroachers.
The parcel of land worth Rs 15 crore belongs to Arulmigu Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Morasampatty Vella Goundanur village near Edappadi. HR&CE department assistant commissioner K Raja told reporters that several people had unlawfully occupied it.
"One of the encroachers constructed a marriage hall covering 12,675 square feet," the assistant commissioner said. He said some encroachers had erected houses and shops.
He said on discovering these encroachments, the HR&CE department had initiated legal action in Madras high court. After hearing the arguments of the department and the encroachers, the court directed the govt to reclaim it.
As per the court's directive, a team comprising officials from the HR&CE, revenue and police departments conducted an eviction drive on Tuesday, demolishing the unauthorized structures. HR&CE officials took control of the property and transferred the relevant documents to the appropriate temple authorities.