Following protests and outrage from Hindu Munnani, Hindus and devotees, the administration has halted the dumping of animal slaughter waste at the premises of the famous Vaacheeswarar Shiva Temple in Tiruvallur West district.
Unidentified individuals had been discarding meat and bone waste near the outer walls of the historic 1,800-year-old Vaacheeswarar Temple at Thirupachur in Tiruvallur district.
Hindu Munnani functionaries said, “Rotting meat waste created a foul stench and severe health hazards in the sacred area, while packs of stray dogs scavenged the waste and dragged bone fragments directly into the temple premises, spoiling the sanctity of the temple besides posing a danger to visiting devotees.
Despite the availability of vacant land protected by a compound wall in the area, some people had been throwing animal slaughter waste into the temple premises.”
On learning about the issue, Hindu Munnani district president M. Vinodh Khanna, general secretary Venkatesan and others visited the site and submitted a petition to the District Collector. They urged the district administration to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future and initiate appropriate legal action against the anti-social elements involved.
The Tamil Nadu BJP, in a post on X, condemned the dumping of animal slaughter waste and the hurting of Hindu sentiments. It demanded strict action against those involved.
Following this, the authorities removed the animal slaughter waste from the temple land. Hindu Munnani also requested the District Collector not to permit slaughterhouses, meat shops, chicken shops or similar establishments within a 500-metre radius of the temple premises.
In another development, following a protest by Hindu Munnani, the authorities retrieved six acres of agricultural land belonging to the Lakshmi Narasimha Perumal Temple at Narasimhan Naicken Palayam in Coimbatore North from a private concern, Emerald.
It is to be noted that Hindu Munnani had announced its protest in the morning. The authorities acted swiftly and retrieved the land in the afternoon after a petition was submitted by the Hindu outfit.
The land is worth approximately Rs. 200 crore. It is alleged that the private firm had not only illegally occupied the land but also used it commercially by organising cricket tournaments, charging Rs. 7,500, and collecting Rs. 100 per person per day for driving lessons on the temple property.
