Madurai: Tamil Nadu HR&CE Minister Ramesh has directed officials to amend tender norms in temples under the department to prevent a small group from repeatedly securing contracts over long periods.
The HR&CE department oversees around 44,000 temples in the state. In higher-revenue temples and those in the next tier, temple administrations typically earn income by issuing tenders for services such as flower and fruit sales, footwear counters and parking.
According to officials, complaints had been received that a few individuals—often with political backing—were continuously taking these tenders and, in some cases, collecting increased charges without the temple administration’s approval. Following discussions with officials, the minister instructed that rules be revised to widen participation.
Tenders are usually issued for a one-year period from July 1 to June. In view of the proposed changes, tenders for 2026–27 have been put on hold, and fresh tenders are expected to be floated in the first week of July under the revised guidelines.
Separately, the minister has ordered that prasadam be provided in all temples, with preparations handled by the temple administration. As an example, sub-temples under the Meenakshi Amman Temple administration are to receive prasadam prepared at the main Meenakshi temple. Officials have also been instructed to identify temples where only one daily pooja is performed and make arrangements to conduct poojas three times a day.
