Encroachments removed from Puliakulam Mariamman temple land

Updated: October 5, 2013 17:01 IST

Special Correspondent

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The Hindu Eviction drive being carried out in the land belonging to Puliakulam Mariamman Temple in the city on Friday. - PHOTO: K. ANANTHAN

The value of the land recovered is estimated to be worth over Rs. 12 crore.

Officials from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department along with police on Friday evicted encroachers from nearly 60 cents of the land belonging to the Puliakulam Mariamman Temple in the city.

Families

According to N. Natarajan, Joint Commissioner for HR & CE – Coimbatore Region, told The Hindu that the temple had about 1.16 acres of land of which 60 cents were under encroachment wherein 38 families were residing, so far.

When the department asked the residents to vacate and hand over the land to the temple, the residents resisted the same.

HC moved

They approached the HR & CE Commissioner in 2009 and pleaded for giving them the land that they were residing, but it was turned down and the Commissioner said that the land belonged to the temple. The residents then moved the Madras High Court and the court also ruled in favour of HR & CE department seven months ago.

Subsequently, the authorities on Friday reached the area with earthmovers, manpower and police and evicted the encroachers. At present, 22 families were living there. On seeing the officials, the residents removed their belongings in vehicles. Police pickets were posted in the area.

The value of the land recovered is estimated to be worth over Rs. 12 crore.

 http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/encroachments-removed-from-puliakulam-mariamman-temple-land/article5204301.ece

To secure wakf wealth

Opinion » Editorial

October 14, 2013

Updated: October 14, 2013 00:55 IST 

Rampant encroachment and the misuse and usurpation of wakf assets representing Islamic religious endowments is the reality across India. Development of available properties, often in prime urban locations, has hardly happened either. The opportunity cost is heavy: substantial income that these could generate for the welfare of the community is being foregone or misappropriated. A Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha constituted in 1996 had looked into the working of State-level wakf boards. 

The Sachar Committee Report (2006) advocated a stringent approach to countering encroachments, and related matters. A Joint Parliamentary Committee that presented its report in October 2008 put forth major suggestions. Four years later, the Union Ministry of Minorities Affairs directed State wakf boards to undertake an assets survey and computerise records. Sadly, there was no progress. With the Wakf (Amendment) Act, 2013 now in place, the prospect of some order evolving in the management of the more than four lakh registered wakf property parcels has emerged.

The new Act recognises the failure to maintain even a basic record of the assets in many States as a principal malady, and seeks to address it within a proper time-frame. Under the amended provisions, encroachment on wakf property has been made a cognisable and non-bailable offence that could attract up to two years’ rigorous imprisonment. The Act puts the onus on State governments to ensure that wakf boards are set up and function effectively. Steps to ensure better accountability on the part of the boards have been incorporated. 

A statutory obligation to ensure flow of information from State wakf boards and State governments to the Central Wakf Council has been incorporated. Stricter provisions have been provided in the amended law to reclaim property parcels alienated over the years. The new composition of the Central Wakf Council, including four persons with national eminence, to advise Central and State governments and State wakf boards, is a prudent one. So is the creation of a Board of Adjudication. 

However, the wider interests of the community, in terms of educational facilities and welfare provision for instance, should form the cornerstone of the reform effort, and commercial interest per se should not take precedence over them. The creation of a centralised, web-enabled database for use by stakeholders will improve transparency and efficiencies — and keep vested interests at bay. The principal thrust should be on ensuring transparency in the administration of wakf assets, and the application of the new law should be done with this in mind. 

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/to-secure-wakf-wealth/article5231818.ece?homepage=true

Encroachment on govt and communidade land

Bindiya Chari, TNN Nov 27, 2013, 07.35AM IST

PANAJI: Action against illegal structures on government and communidade lands is yet to be started even as government has identified those encroachments.

The taluka level committees constituted under religious structure policy are examining the proposals regarding the number of structures to be removed, and those need to be regulated and regularized.

In North Goa, 31 illegal structures have been identified for demolition whereas 49 constructions have been earmarked for shifting. All these structures are on government land.

Highest number of encroachment on government properties has been reported from Ponda. Total 55 encroachments have been identified.

Total 26 illegal constructions were found in government lands in Mormugao taluka. A large number of cases of encroachments on government properties are also reported from Bicholim taluka. So far, 25 such constructions have been identified.

The South Goa collector has identified seven structures on communidade land and action is awaited.
Administrator of communidade has identified 61 encroachments in North zone, 5 under Central zone and 736 in South Zone.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-11-27/goa/44519494_1_communidade-government-land-encroachments
 

HR&CE intensifies encroachment drive

DC | J.V. Siva Prasanna Kumar 

 

 

Picture for representational purpose only.

Chennai: The state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endow­me­nts (HR&CE) department has intensified its drive against encroachments on temple lands. Apart from those under occupation in the city suburbs, the temple officials across the sta­te have been asked to evict encroachers and retrieve the property.According to sources, se­nior HR&CE officials are mo­nitoring the pace of wo­rk on regaining the la­n­ds and properties belonging to the department temples throughout Tamil Na­du, on a regular basis. A co­mprehensive data on the extent of properties re­covered since the mission was launched in 2011 is being maintained district-wise. Also, a database on the properties belonging to all the temples un­der the control of the HR&CE department is being created.

On December 3, officials of the Sri Varadharaja Pe­rumal temple, Poona­ma­ll­ee, bulldozed unauthori­sed shops constructed on the land belonging to the temple and recovered pro­perty worth `36 crore. Ab­out five persons who had leased out a portion of the temple building had constructed shops, which ev­e­ntually were razed down, the sources said.In a similar drive, rece­n­tly, the HR&CE authorities retrieved land, said to be worth Rs25 crore, by evicting huts and some concrete structures built on about 3.05 acres of land belonging to Sri Kariv­a­radharaja Perumal temple in Melayanam­pak­kam.

Also, 1.29 acres belonging to Sri Nellaiyappar Gandhimathi Ambal temple in Tirunelveli, which had been encroached upon by a limestone mining company for several years, was taken into possession again.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131208/news-current-affairs/article/hrce-intensifies-encroachment-drive