The issue of the Tirupati district Collectorate reportedly seeking funds for its building maintenance from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) exchequer has taken a political turn, with parties across the political spectrum flaying the temple management for alleged misuse of funds.
It may be recalled that the TTD had built ‘Padmavathi Nilayam’, a 600-room facility to accommodate the visiting devotees, in Tiruchanur with ₹75 crore and handed it over to AP Tourism. During COVID-19, the building also served as an institutional quarantine centre.
After the district reorganisation exercise, the mammoth edifice was taken over by the Revenue Department in March 2022 to house the ‘makeshift’ Tirupati district Collectorate, at a monthly rent of ₹21.43 lakh for a period of two years.
The TTD had reportedly accepted the request by the Revenue Department to foot the department’s maintenance bill involving ₹46.12 lakh per month. The Revenue Department’s reasoning is that the TTD had to take care of its maintenance since it owned the building.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy termed the decision ‘unfortunate’ and demanded its immediate withdrawal. “Owing to funds crunch, the State government is not in a position to pay salaries to the 30 workers taking care of maintenance at the Collectorate. How is it justified for the government to ask for TTD’s funds?” he asked.
Similarly, Congress leader P. Naveen Kumar Reddy sought to know where and how the TTD had spent its funds over the last four years and demanded a CAG audit into the issue. “The TTD is not required to spend its funds for the government and it is answerable for every rupee received through Srivari Hundi,” he said.
The issue hogs the limelight in the wake of the arrival of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to Tirupati on Monday to participate in the annual Tirumala Brahmotsavam.
