Tamil Nadu - Udhagamandalam   

Erumadu land issue takes a new turn

Special Correspondent

District administration adopts `delaying tactics'

Udhagamandalam: Refusal of permission by the police notwithstanding, hundreds of people from Erumadu near Gudalur assembled near the Collectorate here on Wednesday to stage a demonstration under the aegis of the Erumadu Siva Temple Committee and the Erumadu Siva Temple Land Retrieval Committee. However, the Collectorate was cordoned off by a strong contingent of police.

Demonstration planned

The proposed demonstration was in protest against the alleged, `delaying tactics' being adopted by the district administration in solving a long standing problem relating to a piece of land near the temple.

Stating that the temple was in existence for long and very popular among thousands of devotees, the secretary, Erumadu Siva Temple Land Retrieval Committee, V. Ganesan, said that for many years, 93 cents of land near the temple had been used by the devotees.

However, recently it was fenced by the officials. The secretary, Nilgiris District Vishwa Hindu Parishad, B.K. Kumaran, said that while the authorities had given patta for about three acres near the temple to another religious group, they were not considering the request of the temple management.

He claimed that during festivals such as Shivarathiri, around 25,000 devotees thronged the temple.

Talks assured

Though the administration had `assured' that talks would be held with the members of the Committees and the problem resolved, they had not made arrangements. Hence the citizens of Erumadu had come to the Collectorate.

Later, representatives of the Committees including the president, Nilgiris District Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Hariharakrishnan, held talks with the District Revenue Officer, S. Azhagarsamy, and sought immediate steps to resolve the issue. While Mr. Azhagarsamy informed them that their demands would be conveyed to the Government, the representatives said that within 15 days if the land was not handed over to them, "we will take it".

Attitude condemned

Mr. Kumaran said that the issue would figure at a major Hindu Unity Conference scheduled to be held in Erode on March 19, in which national chief of the RSS, Sudarshan, and the International Chief of the VHP, Ashok Singhal, would participate.

The proposed agitation was called off after a meeting held near the Collectorate. Speakers condemned the administration's attitude and also the alleged indifference of the State Tourism Minister, A. Miller, who represents the Gudalur Assembly Constituency.

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