BENGALURU: A tenant in Bengaluru who does not pay his rent in time can expect to be chucked out of the property in no time. But there are many tenants in the city who owe crores in dues towards rent to several temple trusts across the city.
A private school in Malleswaram is run on land rented out by the Sri Venugopal Swami temple, and the school has not paid rent of Rs 4.5 crore to the temple. This is just one of the instances which was revealed in a RTI reply.
Temple land where rent is due:
- Sri Venugopal Swami temple land – Rs 4.5 crore
- Sri Raghavendra Anjaneya temple land – Rs 80 lakh
- Minto Anjaneya temple, Chamarajpet – Rs 66 lakh
There are 20 temples in Bengaluru under the Hindu Religious Endowment Department where huge rents are due from tenants which include schools, commercial complexes and private banks. The rent due is over Rs 10 crore. Muzarai department Tahsildar Anand Babu says they have information regarding the dues and will take steps to recover them soon.
“We had rented out Sri Venugopal Swami Temple land to a private institution, and they have to pay more money than they are giving us. We will follow the directions we have received. In the Minto Anjaneya temple case, the tenant has to pay around RS 80 lakh for six shops. They did not take a licence from the BBMP. We have given notice, and we have given one month’s time. Regarding the institution, the government has to direct us to take further steps”, said Tahsildar Aravind Babu, Muzarai Department.
Hindu temples are not being developed in the city. If the rent is paid on time and the dues recoverd, government grants may not even be necessary to develop them.