Kapaleeswarar Temple

The Kapaleeswarar Temple officials have managed to recover one of itproperties in R.A. Puram, located near the Sai Baba Temple in Greenway’s Road. This was rented to a film company in 1958. The company has, in turn, been renting the place for film shootings but failed to pay the rent, according to A.T. Paranjothi, Executive Officer of the Temple and Asst. Commissioner. The property, five grounds in extent and with a building on it, is worth Rs. 25 crore.

The authorities moved the court when the residents failed to pay the rent.

After several attempts to execute the order, the authorities recently managed to take over the property.

The Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas and Nayak kings donated many pieces of land for temple use. These were primary agricultural land and later became residential and commercial property.

There are nearly 500 tenants residing in the temple’s property. About 60 per cent of them, residential and commercial, are defaulters. “The Government has urged us to track these defaulters and recover the property. Some of them have not paid a single rupee from the time they occupied it,” says Paranjothi.

Certain pieces of land have been encroached on and we are trying to evict the squatters, he added.

About 25 grounds opposite Kamadhenu Theatre, i.e. from the Mylapore Club compound to the Pallakkumanyam Street, “have been illegally encroached.” This place belongs to the temple and was given on a 99-year lease to Parthasarthi Iyengar in 1901. The lease ended in 2000, but the property has been encroached on. Commerical establishments have been built and they pay no rent. “We have approached the courts and will soon evict them,” say officials.

Similarly, about 76 grounds were rented to the P.S.H. School in 1928. The contract was renewed in 1979 and from then on the temple has been receiving only Rs. 1250 per annum as rent payment.

Dues from 32 defaulters on rent and lease agreements range from Rs. 6.5 crore to Rs. 2.5 lakh each. The total dues are over Rs. 15 crore. – (Courtesy: Mylapore Times)