TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided to auction 23 immovable properties, including house sites and agriculture land, at different places in Tamil Nadu. The total upset value (bidding value) of the 23 properties has been fixed at a little over Rs 1.54 crore.
The TTD Board of Trustees, which met on February 29, resolved to dispose of the immovable properties, which are unviable and not maintainable by the TTD, through public auction. Though the proceedings for the auction of 23 properties were issued by TTD Estate Officer V Devendra Reddy on April 30, the issue came to light on Saturday. The resolution was communicated to the department concerned on March 17 only and thereafter, proceedings were issued on April 30 and two teams were constituted for conducting the auction.
One team is headed by TTD assistant executive officer (revenue) S Udaya Bhaskar Reddy, with senior assistant P Muneendra, surveyor P Mohan Rao, and chainman M Balaji as members. The other team is headed by TTD tahsildar (properties cell) G Gowri Shankar Rao, with senior assistant Y Subbarayudu, surveyor P Harinath and chainman E Guravaiah as members.
The two teams have been entrusted the task of conducting the auction of properties, finalisation of successful bidders and remitting the sale proceeds to the TTD account. The two teams have been asked to prepare a plan of action (route plan, date of publication/auction, date of registration etc.) for conducting auction by dividing the properties between them. The two teams will submit the plan of action to the TTD estate officer before proceeding with the auction. According to TTD officials, disposal of unviable properties is a routine matter. Now, the two teams will be sent for physical verification of the properties before finalising the date of auction.
Sale of unviable assets happening since 1974, 129 sold till date: TTD
In a press release, TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy said as per GO MS No 311 issued by the Revenue Department (Endowments) on April 9, 1990, it was clearly mentioned that the TTD Board is empowered to sell or lease TTD properties if they are advantageous to Devasthanams. Further, sale of such unviable and unmanageable assets has been happening since 1974 and till 2014, a total 129 such properties were auctioned. Based on recommendations of the Sub-Committee constituted with TTD Board members, the TTD on January 30, 2016 resolved to dispose of 50 unviable properties in other parts of the country. Accordingly, a report documenting the value of 23 properties in Tamil Nadu was submitted to the board.
“It is not a new decision. It was taken by the previous Board of Trustees and we only reiterated it in the board meeting held in February. Small land holdings or house sites of 50 cents to 1 acre donated to the temple, mostly in Tamil Nadu and a few places in Rishikesh are being encroached upon. Hence, the TTD Board decided to liquidate them through auction,” Subba Reddy said. The State government is no way connected to it, he clarified.
The TTD over the years has been receiving such properties donated to the Lord by different methods. One way is donation of the property to Lord Venkateswara and the other way is to register the property in the name of Lord or TTD. Yet another way of donating land is through the will. The TTD has been trying to dispose of 23 properties in Tamil Nadu since 2014-15. BJP State president Kanna Lakshminarayana shot off a letter to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy describing it as most disastrous and demanded that the move be withdrawn immediately. The BJP State chief said it is very clearly evident that the YSRC government will liquidate all the assets of Hindu temples in the State and ruin Hinduism.
“Our party is not going to allow this anti-Hindu acts of your government. I also warn you that crores of Hindus in the world will raise their voice,” he said. Former TTD Trust Board member and TDP leader Bonda Umamaheswara Rao alleged that the government was trying to dispose of the valuable lands of the TTD at cheaper prices to YSRC henchmen.
Previous board decided on it: YV Subba Reddy
“It is not a new decision. It was taken by the previous Board. We only reiterated it in the meeting held in Feb. Small land holdings or house sites of 50 cents to 1 acre donated to the temple, mostly in Tamil Nadu and a few places in Rishikesh are being encroached upon. Hence, the TTD Board decided to liquidate them through auction,” YV Subba Reddy, TTD Board Chairman, told TNIE.