Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister P.K. Sekarbabu on Thursday said that never in the past had such an extent of temple land been reclaimed by the government from the clutches of encroachers.

“Even on Thursday, we retrieved 49 grounds at Vadapalani [in Chennai] from a private party, who was paying just ₹1,750 a month, and its value is ₹200 crore. We will continue to reclaim temple lands,” the Minister said in the Assembly, responding to Panruti legislator T. Velmurugan, who complained about the appropriation of temple lands by individuals in his constituency.

When Mr. Velumurugan said officials were not allowed to serve notice on the encroachers, the Minister said the government would take action against encroachers, and the police could not be cowed down by anyone.