Bihar's Battle Against Illegal Temple Land Deals

Bihar's Revenue and Land Reforms department seeks to curb encroachment and illegal transactions of temple properties by uploading records online for transparency. With slow current processes, they urge the law department to permit online maintenance and upload of records, ensuring management of temple assets and coordination between departments.

The Bihar Revenue and Land Reforms department is taking decisive action to prevent the encroachment and unlawful transactions of temple properties in the state. On Wednesday, the department formally requested that the law department permit them to maintain records of immovable temple assets on their official website.

Currently, the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts (BSBRT) under the law department manages these records. However, State Revenue and Land Reforms Minister Sanjay Saraogi highlighted in the assembly that the existing process is sluggish. The department has, therefore, sought approval for uploading these records, which would expedite processes and deter unauthorized property dealings.

With incidents of illegal sales and purchase of temple lands on the rise, coordination between the Revenue and Law departments is deemed essential. Statistics reveal over 2,500 unregistered temples and mutts owning substantial land, underscoring the importance of transparent record-keeping and strict measures against illegality.

(With inputs from agencies.)