Action has been initiated to retrieve the immovable properties worth hundreds of crores belonging to the Subramania Swamy Temple at Kumarasamipet in Dharmapuri town, said S. Radhamani, an executive officer with the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department.

Efforts are on to retrieve the assets that were encroached or misused by people belonging to a particular community, she told the press over the phone from Chennai on Tuesday.

She also said that the main gate of the mandapam, adjoining the temple, has been locked on Monday by the HR &CE authorities for renovation. The mandapam was used by the people of a particular community to perform last rites.

Though people from the community protested against locking the gate, the officials submitted a petition at the local police station and also handed over a copy of the petition to the Superintendent of Police Asra Garg on June 10 seeking protection for locking the gate.

The gate was locked in the presence of revenue officials with police protection, she said.

Ms. Radhamani said that the temple has property in over 10 acres and 500 plots within the Dharmapuri town limit and many are under encroachment. One such encroachment was identified recently in the town and the land has been retrieved. The encroacher had constructed 12 shops on the land. The temple has leased out 60 shops in and around the temple. Five persons have outstanding arrears of Rs. 85 lakh to the temple.

Efforts are on to recover dues from the defaulters, she said.

She also said that the authorities had recently identified a 64-cent-land belonging to the temple that has been encroached by a person claiming that the patta of the land was transferred to his name a decade ago.