The Thiruvanaikovil Adimanai Urimaiyalar Koottamaippu has fielded a candidate for the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency to draw the attention of the authorities to the property ownership dispute between Sri Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari Temple administration and a section of residents of Thiruvanaikovil in the city..
The candidate, M. Akila, filed her nomination papers as an Independent on Wednesday, the last day for filing of nominations. “We decided to field our candidate at a meeting of the kootammaippu held on March 24. Some of the residents suggested that we boycott the election. But that will not serve any purpose. We wanted to register our protest in a democratic manner even while keeping the focus on our rights,” said M. Mari alias Padmanabhan of the federation.
Although the kootammaippu had planned to field five candidates, it later decided to go with one candidate. “We will mobilise support from all the affected residents and force the authorities to take note,” he added.
Residents of Thiruvanaikovil have been opposing the temple Executive Officer’s communication to the Registration Department in September 2023 requesting the Srirangam Sub Registrar not to register property transactions relating to certain survey numbers in Vellithirumutham village, which spreads from Srirangam to Thiruvananaikovil in the island town situated between the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers. Based on the communication, the Sub Registrar had suspended registrations of the survey numbers concerned.
The residents contended that they had been subject to severe mental stress as they were not able to sell or raise loans on their properties for important family requirements.
The affected residents had petitioned the district administration seeking the revocation of the communication from the temple administration to the Sub Registrar and resumption of property registrations in Thiruvanaikovil.
Tripartite talks between the property owners and HR & CE and Revenue officials, held earlier this month, failed to resolve the issue and remained inconclusive. The temple officials maintained that they had asked the Registration Department not to register temple properties which had been registered in the name of individuals by mistake and aggrieved residents may appeal to the Commissioner of the HR& CE Department.
The meeting decided to “recommend for follow up action” the plea from the residents that their representation on the issue be forwarded to the Commissioner of HR & CE through the District Collector.
