VIJAYAWADA: The State government on Monday evening directed the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to keep in abeyance its proposal to auction 50 ‘unviable’ properties in Tamil Nadu and other places. The government advised the TTD to reexamine the proposal by consulting stakeholders such as religious elders, opinion-shapers and devotees, to ascertain whether TTD can use the properties to construct temples and dharma pracharam, among other things.
The TTD Trust Board in February reviewed a resolution recommending auctioning of properties adopted by the previous board in January 2016. The TTD estate officer was in April directed to form two teams to assess the properties and suggest modalities for the auction. The directive turned controversial with the TDP, BJP and Jana Sena accusing the YSRC government of hurting devotees’ sentiments.
Earlier on Monday, TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy reiterated that the decision was taken by the Board in 2016 — when BJP and TDP leaders were on the Board. “To auction those properties was the decision of the previous board headed by Chadalawada Krishnamurthy, a TDP leader, during the TDP regime,” he said.
Explaining that they were contemplating how best to deal with these properties without hurting devotees’ sentiments, he reasoned, “Protecting these properties will be difficult for the TTD, and leaving them will hurt the sentiments of devotees who donated them to Lord Venkateswara. If these lands are occupied and buildings constructed, the very purpose of the donation will be defeated.”
He further said that at the next TTD Board meeting it will be discussed how to safeguard such properties, and if they are unviable, how to deal with them. “We will seek advice from Dharmic elders and experts. Our only objective is to see that properties donated by devotees are not encroached,” he said.
Subba Reddy said that disposing of unviable lands donated to the TTD was not a new decision as 129 such properties were sold between 1974 and 2004. During Chandrababu Naidu’s government in the late ’90s as many as 15-20 such properties were auctioned, he pointed out.
Reading out the resolution of the TTD Board meeting held under the chairmanship of Chadalawada Krishnamurthy on January 30, 2016, he said it resolved to auction 50 identified properties, which are unviable. The reason given was that those properties are far from Tirupati, valued less, and maintaining them was not economically possible for the TTD. The amount accrued from the auction of those properties was to be added to the TTD Corpus Fund, he added.
Asking why those who are raising their voices now were silent when the previous board passed such a resolution, Subba Reddy said had the YSRC wanted to make an issue out of it, the party could
have done so.
Hitting out at those criticising the TTD, he said that it seems to be a pre-planned conspiracy of the Opposition to bring disrepute to the TTD and the State government. Pointing out that when he took over as TTD Board chairman, TDP tried to project him as a Christian, he said all they are looking for is an opportunity to sling mud at him.
The TTD chairman said it was the TDP which tried to encroach temple and endowments properties when it was in power and cited examples of Sadavarti lands, Durga temple lands and Simhachalam lands. “When we were in the opposition, it was we who made efforts to save those lands through court,” he claimed.
Turning the tables on TDP on the issue of ‘misuse’ of TTD funds, Subba Reddy said that the previous government allocated TTD funds to the tune of `460 crore for the construction of Garuda Varadhi and `120 crore for beautification of Avilala tank in Tirupati though it was the responsibility of the municipal corporation.
Taking exception to BJP criticism, he reminded that the TTD Board that passed the resolution and also the Sub-Committee which made the recommendation to dispose of the unviable properties, had BJP leaders G Bhanuprakash Reddy, J Sekhar and DP Ananta, Suchitra Ella and TDP leader Sandra Venkata Veeraiah.
Sarada Peetham pontiff speaks to CM Jagan
Sarada Peetham pontiff Swaroopanandendra Maha Saraswati Swamy on Monday spoke to chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and suggested that the government solve the issue without hurting sentiments of crores of devotees. He also spoke to TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy and EO Anil Kumar Singhal and enquired about the proposed auction. He advised them to take a decision without giving scope for controversies. He said whenever any decision was taken by the TTD it should keep the sentiments of devotees in mind