The Tamil Nadu government on Friday created the post of an additional commissioner for the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department for the Trichy region, to be headed by a senior IAS officer. N Ponmani, who previously served as joint commissioner in the commercial taxes department in Erode, has been appointed to this newly created position.
Purpose of the New Post
HR&CE commissioner T G Vinay, IAS, told the Times of India that the post was established to oversee the numerous developmental projects being undertaken in temples administered by the department across the Trichy region. “The scope of the department is expanding. Multiple works, including master plan projects, are under way across the region. The number of devotees visiting temples is also increasing day by day. The post has been created to ensure seamless services, provide all essential facilities to devotees, strengthen monitoring of temple activities, and expedite renovation works,” he said.
Regional Expansion Plans
Vinay added that similar posts have been proposed for other regions as well, with each regional commissioner being a cadre officer. “The officer stationed in Trichy will oversee activities across the southern region. For the northern region, we have proposed appointing the officer who is currently holding office in Chennai as additional commissioner. The regional commissioners will supervise and assist the commissioner to expedite all infrastructure works and so on,” he explained.
The senior scale IAS officer post has been created for a period of one year. This move is expected to improve management and accelerate temple renovation and development projects in the region.
