Madras High Court Expresses Discontent Over Slow Construction of Strong Rooms in Temples

The Madras High Court has expressed dismay over the slow progress in constructing strong rooms in temples by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. Despite a Government Order issued in 2018 sanctioning ₹308 crore for the construction of strong rooms in over 1,000 temples to safeguard precious idols, only 25 temples have seen the completion of these rooms.

A Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavalu directed the Special Government Pleader (HR&CE) to present a roadmap by Thursday outlining the number of strong rooms to be constructed in the next three months. The court emphasized the importance of protecting temple treasures and questioned the delay in completing construction even after almost five years of the initial order and funding allocation.