The State Government has decided to frame rules to evict the encroachers from the properties of temples and other religious institutions.
A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting of the Endowment department presided over by law Minister Arun Sahoo at the State Secretariat here on Monday.
The meeting decided to dispose of several pending cases relating to lords’ properties in the court at the earliest. As per the blueprint prepared by the Endowment department for amendments to some of its existing rules, the Endowment inspectors would now spend 20 days on field visits instead of 10 days and work in the Collectorates for the rest 10 days every month. Besides, they would also take steps for infrastructure development of mutts and temples in coordination with the Tourism Department.
It was revealed that out of the 17,244 religious institutions in the State, only 5,000 have been registered. The rest would be registered within six months, it was decided.
To make the Endowment department more active, the meeting decided to open a website for it which would provide detailed information of all religious institutions under it. For the management of religious institutions, the department would take steps for formation of trust boards in due time. All endowments rules would be published in Odia language.
Besides, the department would also provide financial aid for rituals and other religious activities of these institutions and the law Department would come up with new guidelines in this regard very soon.
Apart from this, steps would also be taken to fill up vacant posts in the Endowment department. The staff would be allowed to go on exposure tours to other States to understand the modus operandi of the Endowment departments there.