Chennai, February 12 Tamil Nadu BJP Chief Spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy alleged on Thursday that a private construction firm had cheated approximately 10,000 people for around Rs 2,500 crore in a massive real estate fraud involving temple land in Korattur, Chennai.
In a post on X, Thirupathy alleged that the firm, 'Urban Rise', had constructed 2,036 houses on land belonging to a local temple.
"It is deeply shocking to hear that a massive fraud worth Rs 2,500 crore has taken place in Korattur, Chennai, where 2,036 houses (families) were built on temple land, deceiving about 10,000 people. It is said that after many years, the court has delivered a verdict stating that this is temple land. The victims say that a company called 'Urban Rise' systematically deceived the people," wrote the BJP spokesperson on his official X account.
Thirupathy demanded that the owners of the company, who cheated the people of thousands of crores by hiding the fact that it is temple land, should be arrested immediately and investigated.
Raising questions about the role of financial institutions and government departments, Thirupathy asked how various banks sanctioned loans for the project without verifying the land titles.
He called for a thorough investigation into the conduct of bank officials and the registration department, questioning the basis on which the documents were processed.
"...the relevant banks should explain how they provided loans to the people without examining the land documents, and those who committed wrongdoing must be severely punished," he added.
The spokesperson further targeted the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, alleging that it failed in its duty to protect temple assets.
He stated that "temple lands have become hubs for looters" and questioned what the department, which "boasts of protecting temple properties," was doing while this occurred.
"It is the duty of the Tamil Nadu government to investigate all of this and take strict action against those who were complicit. It is the duty of the Tamil Nadu government to provide proper protection to the affected people and provide them with appropriate compensation. No one can hide or deny the fact that such irregularities and frauds are the 'Dravidian Model'," Thirupathy said.