Government departments that take over temple lands will have to pay compensation. Revenue Department G.O.No 298 dated 18 August, 2015 clearly said that several Government departments were under the impression that temple lands were Government lands.
The G.O. saying that temple lands were not Government lands has specified that the respective departments would have to pay compensation and Relief and Rehabilitation.
The G.O. cited Pulichintala and Gandikota Reservoir Projects as “glaring instances” where lands were taken over by the Housing Department without paying any compensation to the temples and did not implement the obligatory R & R packages.
The G.O. said, “Hindu temples and their properties are not Government properties. These temples have never been constructed by Government with taxpayers money. They were built only by Hindu philanthropists, Mutts, Peetams, Zamindars etc. since ancient times. Government is only acting as a sacred trustee of temple property and has brought the Endowment Act permitting itself to administer the Hindu temples for the benefit of Hindu society. Hence, under no circumstances Hindu temples can be treated as Government property, it said.
