The has directed the administrative heads of 21 districts to appoint nodal officers to manage the functioning of 1,958 unregistered temples in the wake of large scale irregularities over transactions of assets by priests. Instructions have also been issued to furnish revenue records of 2,973 acres of land, worth several crores, belonging to these temples.
It has been seen that caretakers are selling properties donated by our forefathers for temples, he said. We want to strengthen the law to protect religious properties so that they are maintained better and used for social causes, the minister added.After the appointment of the nodal officers, who will be additional collector rank bureaucrats, these unregistered temples will function under the direct supervision of theBihar State Religious Trust Council(BSRTC).
As per the Bihar Hindu Religious Trusts Act 1950, all public temples in the state must be registered with the BSRTC.