Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has pulled back its green light for building 29 wedding halls,17 commercial complexes,worth ₹246 crore . Projects were to be funded by surplus temple revenues statewide,but construction hadn't started.
Among scrapped projects: commercial complexes tied to Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai,alloted ₹6.40 crore,and Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai, with ₹3 crore. Wedding halls planned at Dhandayudhaswamy Temple in Palani and Sankaranarayanaswamy Temple in Sankarankoil were each to get ₹9.80 crore.
This move follows Madras High Court directives (Madurai Bench) and a request from HR&CE Commissioner to remove these from Assembly records. Senior official suggested funds might be redirected to boost temple visitor amenities. “Priority to queue management,cleanliness,prasadam provision through temple devasthanams,toilets,drinking water,annadhanam halls,devotee rest houses,among other facilities,” official said.
Former HR&CE official backed cancellation,arguing wedding halls and complexes don't align with HR&CE Act. “Temple funds meant for charitable,spiritual purposes; wedding halls,commercial complexes don't fit,” he noted. Urged regular temple maintenance,saying pests problem in many older sites…
