Tamil Nadu chief-minister Edapadi K. Palaniswami has ordered immediate closure of more than 15,000 shops located in and around thousands of temples in the State.

The order follows the huge fire which gutted the world-renowned Meenatchi Temple at Madurai on 02nd February resulting in severe damage to the Veeravasantharayar Mandapam and other structures. The losses are put at Rs.50 crores as of now. Hundreds of doves too died in the fire which has created panic in the hearts of devotees as fire at a temple is always viewed as a sign of ‘bad things’ to occur.

The chief-minister ordered concerned authorities to act fast to identify and remove encroachments such as structures, shops, etc. situated in thousands of acres of lands belonging to the 38,630 temples across the State. This would result in immediate removal/closure of 15,000 shops in and around the temples so as to avert future tragedies.

“Precautionary measures should be put in place to avoid recurrence of such incidents. Foolproof security measures would have to be put in place in major temples,” the chief-minister’s order said.