A survey of temple lands using digital methods was launched on Thursday in the Salem region by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. The works are expected to be completed in a year.
According to HR and CE officials, it is being conducted using differential global positioning systems (DGPS) provided by the Survey Department. The devices are fitted with SIM cards. Digital record of the lands belonging to the temples is created through the survey.
Officials said that a four-member surveyor team and two rover devices had been provided to the Salem region, including Salem and Dharmapuri districts. A rover and two surveyors had been deployed for each district for conducting the survey. Officials said that the primary aim of the survey was to digitise temple land records and to protect the land from encroachers. Officials said once the survey was completed, it would be cross-checked with land data and title documents that were uploaded on the HR&CE Department’s website earlier.
The survey works had begun on 110 acres of land belonging to Sukneshwar Temple at Alagapuram here. Officials said that the survey stones of about 5ft height, with common design would be erected on temple lands.
There were 221 temples under the Joint Commissioner’s control and 2,400 temples under the Assistant Commissioners.
