India, Dec. 12 -- The state has renewed the lease on land housing a portion of the Babulnath Temple complex, one of Mumbai's most revered temples, for a period of 30 years, for a nominal Rs.1. The decision was taken at the state's cabinet meeting on Thursday.

The temple is located on 5,677 sq m of land, of which 718 sq m has been leased to the Babulnath Temple Charity Trust since 1901. The renewal of the lease has been pending since 2012.

While approving the lease renewal, the state government also waived Rs.34.57 lakh sought from the trust as lease rent between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2021. The Mumbai city collector had sent a letter to the state government in February 2022 regarding the rent collection.

Since it was pending,...