Hyderabad: After a prolonged exercise, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has uploaded the details of its lands on its website.
According to the list, the total number of assets is 410, spread over 6000 acre in nine states of the country and in Nepal, where 18 acre was given in Janakpur area.
Most of the land and properties are, however, in AP where more than 5100 acre belongs to the Lord in nearly 350 different title deeds. In Telangana, the deity has 126 acre of land.
This is just available land position. According to sources, there are hundreds of acres of land, which are either encroached on or have been given away by governments to various social groups or for industrial purposes.
Majority of the lands are agricultural and 70 per cent of them are under cultivation. Sources, however, said that the TTD does not get any substantial amount from the farmlands as they are under occupation.
A team of officials led by Mr Ramachandra Reddy, estate officer of TTD, listed the properties state-wise. This includes land and buildings of Kalyana mantaps in several districts and states.
There is no mention of how many of them are under encroachment. Nor does the TTD say the steps that it intends to take to protect these properties.
“TTD is a body which can at best administer the normal functioning of temple and related work. It cannot oversee properties which are situated in far off places. The Endowments Department has to act in this aspect. It must speak to the respective governments to protect TTD’s land and if necessary, with the help of TTD, give it to interested parties on lease basis. No property can be encroached or sold to any party,” a top official of TTD told DC.
