CHENNAI, INDIA, January 1, 2009: Many temples in and around Chennai own prime properties but have difficulties in either possessing them or collecting rent from their tenants.
Revenue records show that about 10 acres in Valasarawakkam belong to the Agatheeswarar-Velveeswarar temples. But the temples can neither use the land nor obtain any revenue from it. Many private houses have been built on these lands, and there are claims and counter claims regarding the title. After repeatedly writing to the Revenue Department asking for the copies of the original documents so that they can effectively delineate and recover the property, temple officials have filed an RTI asking for detailed information about the properties.
There are about 700 tenants on the temple lands of Tiruvalleeswarar Temple in Padi. “For long, the temple struggled to collect rent. Only now some have come forward to pay,” says an official. And now, about three acres of temple land has somehow become part of a major real estate project in west Chennai.
The temples face two kinds of problem. One is the adverse possession of land and the other is collection and upward revision of rent. Not all temples have their land documents in full. Some have only revenue extracts dating back to 1870s. Other related documents are missing.