The HJS has been demanding a detailed CBI inquiry into the "huge financial scams" running into crores of rupees and intense political interference in the government-controlled Pashchim Maharashtra Devsthan Samiti (PMDS) since the BJP-Sena government came into power.
Right wing groups, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti (HJS) and Sanatan Sanstha, have welcomed the government's move of constituting the committee to prepare a status report of lands under possession of government-run temples.
Arvind Pansare, spokesperson of HJS, said: "This was a much needed step. We have exposed the land scam and other malpractices happening in the government-run temples by obtaining information under Right to Information Act. Accounts of most temples haven't been audited for years leading to several irregularities and huge revenue loss to these temples."
The HJS has been demanding a detailed CBI inquiry into the "huge financial scams" running into crores of rupees and intense political interference in the government-controlled Pashchim Maharashtra Devsthan Samiti (PMDS) since the BJP-Sena government came into power.
Pansare said: "The RTI information says that the PMDS account books were not audited from the year 1969 to 2004. The RTI reply also stated that the trust which owned 23,000 acres of land as on 2009-10 reduced to 16,961 acres in the year 2013 with no details of disappearance. Besides, bauxite mining was carried out at some places but royalty worth Rs2-3 crore was not deposited with the temple trust for 12 years. There is no record of gold, sliver and ornaments donated by the devotees either."
Advocate Vijay Ichalkaranjikar, who is heading Hindu Vidhigya Parishad, said: "I just hope that the government doesn't wash off its hand from the management of the temples."
He also demanded a separate and stringent law for those indulging in malpractices at temples and also for those government officials who allow such irregularities. "Stricter laws are needed mainly because the temples collect money and receive land and other alms through the emotions of lakhs of devotees," says Ichalkaranjikar. He also demands a similar probe into land scam of waqf land as well.
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