TN HR&CE minister: Steps on to recover ₹2,000-cr temple dues, retrieve 40,245 acres encroached land

In the Tamil Nadu assembly on Friday, HR&CE minister S Ramesh said the government is taking steps to recover ₹2,000 crore in temple rental dues and retrieve 40,245 acres of encroached temple land, while reviewing pending projects. Presenting the department's demands, Ramesh accused the previous DMK government of leaving projects worth ₹418 crore pending. He also said that, of the 844 announcements made by the previous government, several had no financial allocation and appeared to be made merely to increase the number of announcements. Former minister P K Sekarbabu responded that succeeding governments should complete projects announced by their predecessors rather than cancel them. The exchange reflected a disagreement over the handling of temple administration and the fate of projects initiated by the previous government.