The Tamil Nadu Temple Executive Officers Federation urged the State government to appoint boards of trustees for temples under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department. According to the HR and CE Act, temples should have between three and five members in such boards, depending on their income and size.
The trustees offer advice and guidance to the executive officers in the conduct of festivals and also in the daily running of temples. “Since they are usually local people, they know the customs of the temple and it is always better to take decisions as a group,” explained an office-bearer of the Federation. In most cases, temples at present have only fit persons or thakkars in place of the trustees and in many temples they are the executive officers themselves, he added.
The Federation has also sought clarity in fixing of fair rent for temple properties. “Over the last two decades there have been several G.O.s and the result is that in places where the rent was ₹3,000 for a 300 sq.ft. property, it is now ₹23,000. This has lead to hundreds of cases of those unwilling to pay rent. The executive officers are unable to collect rent and temples do not have an adequate source of income due to this,” another official said.
The Federation has urged the government to set up a committee to look into the matter of fixing rent and provide clear guidelines. The Federation also demanded that they be considered as frontline workers. “One EO has died after contracting COVID-19 after he went to hospitals to deliver food. We cannot wear PPE kits daily. Temples do not have the funds for that. We are now requesting the government to ensure food supplies by outsiders so that our staff members are not involved in this,” a source said.
