Tamil Nadu government cancels ₹246 crore temple-funded projects

Tamil Nadu's newly-elected TVK government cancelled ₹246 crore worth of projects that the previous DMK administration had planned to fund with temple revenues, an official said Saturday.

The 46 projects included 29 marriage halls and 17 commercial complexes. None had broken ground. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department withdrew the administrative approval on June 19, about two months after the TVK government took office.

Cancelling the projects will prevent temples under the HR&CE department from facing financial strain, the official said, without elaborating on the department's exact balance-sheet exposure.

Under the DMK, the department had used revenue from major ancient temples to finance government welfare schemes such as mass weddings and construction of shopping complexes, a source said. Temples meanwhile struggled to recover leased land or shops, the source added.

Hindu Munnani and other groups have protested against using temple funds for commercial activities or welfare schemes, arguing that the money should stay within the temples.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar laid out the government's reform agenda in his June 18 address to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He said the state would carry out structural changes in the HR&CE department, including a full audit of all temple properties, lands, and endowment revenues, and introduce transparent computerised accounts.

"Administrative malpractices that prevailed in earlier times will be eliminated, and this government will ensure that all movable and immovable assets of the temples are used solely for their sacred purposes," he said.

The cancelled funds will instead go toward temple maintenance and devotee services, the official said.