Madras HC lauds HR & CE dept on defaulter gazette – Times of India

Chennai: After a series of rebukes from Madras high over encroachment of temple lands, the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department finally earned the court’s praise on Friday when it said a Rs 540-crore target had been set to collect tenancy arrears from defaulters.
The HR & CE commissioner, who appeared virtually in court, informed the court that officials had been given a target of more than 540 crore to be recovered from defaulters in a year and that at least 2-3 crore was being collected daily. He further informed the court that all temples and the properties had been mapped and codified and a list of top defaulters has been prepared and will be made available for public.
“All details regarding temple properties and defaulters will be uploaded in the website,” the commissioner informed the court.
A division bench of Justice R Mahadevan and Justice P D Audikesavalu were hearing a petition regarding pending dues worth more than Rs 2,390 crore, yet to be collected by the HR & CE department. The HR & CE commissioner informed the court that so far four lakh properties had been mapped, of which only about a lakh of them yield income.
The commissioner also submitted that they will coordinate with the police to remove encroachers. Recording the submissions, the division bench appreciated the efforts of the HR & CE department and directed the commissioner to file a report.