Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan Says TTD’s Assets Will Be Kept Secured
VIJAYAWADA: Accusing the previous Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board, appointed by the YSRC government, of attempting to sell properties donated by devotees to Lord Venkateswara Swamy, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan asserted that the NDA alliance government will take the responsibility of protecting the properties belonging to the Srivari temple. He urged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to conduct a comprehensive probe into the decisions taken by the previous TTD board with regard to TTD’s assets.
In an official statement issued by the Deputy Chief Minister’s Office on Monday, Pawan Kalyan stated that numerous devotees show their unwavering faith in Lord Venkateswara Swamy by donating their properties to Him. Some even graciously deposit the property documents directly into the temple hundi.
Accordingly, TTD is in possession of immovable properties in states like Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, including buildings in Mumbai and Hyderabad. “The previous TTD board, instead of trying to protect its assets, issued an auction notice to sell around 23 properties in Tamil Nadu worth ₹23.92 crore. Additionally, the former TTD board planned to raise ₹100 crore in revenue by attempting to sell its assets in Guntur, Ranga Reddy and Malkajgiri areas in Telangana, and Bangalore, which got thwarted after protests by the Jana Sena, other opposition parties, and Hindu outfits,” Pawan pointed out.
He declared that the alliance government will investigate the involvement of those who played key roles in the attempts to auction and sell TTD-owned assets during the previous YSRC tenure. He advised the TTD board to conduct an audit of gold ornaments and other precious metals presented to the deity at the Srivari temple over the years by various rulers and devotees.
Pawan Kalyan has already asked the Chief Minister to probe the Sri Vani Trust formed by the previous YSRC government, where each devotee is charged ₹10,500 per darshan ticket but only ₹500 is shown in official records. “Under the Sri Vani Trust, the TTD ambitiously undertook the construction of Srivari temples across the country. It is important to determine who was responsible for the construction of these temples, the name of the firm involved, and to make this information public," the Deputy CM stated.
Pawan wanted a comprehensive audit of all temples and choultries under the endowments department. He asked the state government to make public the revenue and expenditure of the respective temples in the state.