CPI condemns temple officials move to auction agri land

CHENNAI: CPI state secretary R Mutharasan on Friday sought the intervention of the State government and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment department to order the executive officer of the Piravi Marundeeswarar Temple in Thiruthuraipoondi to stop the plan to auction agricultural land under lease.

In a statement, he said that farmers have taken on lease agricultural lands of Hindu temples, mutts and trusts for generations. “In the absence of proper documents from the temple administration officials to the tenant farmers, the plight of such farmers continues to be that they are not able to get relief assistance including loan waivers and welfare benefits provided by the government during natural calamities.

Without approval or no-objection certificates from the temple officials, the tenant farmers are not able to join the crop insurance. In an attempt to snatch the livelihood of the tenant farmers who are already facing huge debt burden, the temple officials have been advertising in dailies to 'publicly auction' the land owned by the tenant farmers,” he said.

The officials of Piravi Marundeeswarar temple have issued such a notification creating tension among Cauvery delta farmers, he said, adding that the auction notice takes away the rights of the tenant farmers who leasing the temple's lands for generations. “We condemn the temple's official action and seek the intervention of the state government and the HR and CE on it,” he demanded.