Andhra Pradesh: BJP opposes use of TTD buildings as govt. offices
The Hindu
‘Properties constructed with donations from devotees should be used for dharmic purposes alone’
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy demanded that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) should take back all properties which it had given to the State government for setting up of its offices.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said that the TTD Act specifies that buildings constructed with the contributions received from devotees should be employed for religious and dharmic purposes alone. Employing them for non-religious activities is tantamount to violation of the Act, he said.
The Padmavati Nilayam complex which was provided to the State government for setting up of a transit Collectorate office for the newly-announced Sri Balaji district should be immediately brought back into the TTD’s fold, Mr. Bhanuprakash Reddy said. “The party will launch agitations to protect the properties of Lord Venkateswara,” he said.
Devotees should be allowed to visit the hill temple without any restrictions as they were allowed to before the outbreak of COVID-19, he said, and demanded the completion of restoration works on the Srivari Mettu footpath.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.