HYDERABAD: Amid the controversy over the allocation of land belonging to Sharada Peetham at Neopolis in Kokapet to HMWSSB, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy decided to cancel the allotment, directing officials to allow the Peetham to retain the land.
On Saturday, officials informed Revanth about the construction undertaken on the land by Sharada Peetham. He sought details on the status of the works and expressed anger over not being informed earlier while allocating the land to HMWSSB. He also advised representatives of Sharada Peetham to meet Minister D Sridhar Babu and brief him on the constructions and related issues.
Meanwhile, BRS MLA and former minister T Harish Rao demanded cancellation of the allotment, warning of protests to protect the temple land, and visited Sharada Peetham on Saturday. He alleged the Congress government was attempting to demolish Sharada Peetham and Rajashyamala temple, accusing authorities of creating fear through police deployment and eviction threats without notice.
He said the then BRS government had allotted two acres in Survey No 240 in 2019 to Visakha Sharada Peetham, which paid `1.05 crore, secured HMDA permissions, and built the temple, goshala, annadanam hall and Veda school. Questioning the need for the land for HMWSSB works, he asked why nearby 17 acres of government land were not used and alleged it was instead allotted to firms linked to the chief minister’s relatives.
BJP state president N Ramchander Rao accused the Congress of targeting Hindu organisations and temples for Muslim vote-bank politics.