The lease of 6.5 acres of land from the famous Sankara Rameshwarar Temple in Thoothukudi to a ruling party DMK member for an unusually low fee, reportedly on the recommendation of Minister Geetha Jeevan, has ignited a severe controversy. Social activist Agri Paramasivan has lodged a formal complaint with the District Collector, requesting that the lease be revoked, the land recovered, and returned to the temple’s administration.
Paramasivan highlighted that the Sankara Rameshwara temple owns vast tracts of land across Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts. Notably, 76 acres of temple land are located in the Mappilaiurani revenue village near Thoothukudi. Allegations have been made that DMK Minister of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Geetha Jeevan abused her power to lease 6.51 acres of this temple land in the Gomaspuram area to Palaniswami, an associate of her aide, Mani, at a drastically reduced rate.
The land in question is managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HRCE) Department’s Executive Officer, who oversees temple properties. However, the lessee has reportedly converted the land for commercial purposes, constructing shops and leasing them out, generating substantial income in the process.
Amba Shankar, the DMK’s youth wing leader in Thoothukudi South, also leased 1.5 acres of temple land to set up a goat market, which appears to be politically motivated. Shankar, once aligned with Anitha Radhakrishnan, the local MLA and DMK minister, recently distanced himself from her and publicly criticized her actions. Minister Geetha Jeevan seized the opportunity to bring Shankar into her fold, offering him the land at a highly favorable lease rate. Several other DMK figures have reportedly benefited from similar arrangements, using the land to set up a range of commercial enterprises, including shops selling vegetables and tea.
In addition to the land lease concerns, DMK Union Secretary Saravanakumar, who is also the president of the Mappillaiyurani Panchayat, has been accused of issuing property tax receipts for 122 shops constructed on the leased land. These constructions have been carried out in violation of local zoning regulations, and the shops could be demolished as a result.
The irregularities are said to involve cooperation between temple trustees, officials from the HRCE Department, and the revenue department. Given that the minister is believed to be behind the deal, Paramasivan has called on the Chief Minister to intervene directly to reclaim the land and restore it to the temple’s administration. As the controversy continues to escalate, senior officials from the HRCE Department are reportedly considering canceling the lease and revoking the land’s transfer to private individuals.
In response to the allegations, DMK Minister Geetha Jeevan denied any wrongdoing, explaining that Palaniswami leased the land from the Shankararameswarar Temple for an internal arrangement to establish an Amba Shankar goat market. She stated that she was invited to the market’s inauguration and attended to officiate the opening. However, she claimed that she had no knowledge of how the temple land was acquired. Reflecting on the situation, she admitted that attending the inauguration was a mistake and expressed that her name was being dragged into the matter for political reasons.
(With inputs from Dinamalar)
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