Hyderabad: Former member of TTD Trust Board and Sathupalli MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah said that Telangana was a priority for TTD even after the bifurcation.
Mr Veeraiah and another former member and ex-MLC Narsa Reddy, who were on TTD Trust Board panel from 2015-17, were proactive in taking help of the richest temple board for initiatives in the state.
Mr Veeraiah said that with the help of TTD Board, he undertook development initiatives worth Rs 15 crore in the erstwhile Khammam district. “Construction of a Vasathi Gruham with a budget of Rs 4 crore in Bhadradri temple, establishing bhajan mandirs in 40 SC/ST colonies for Rs 3.2 crore and repairs in temples in Khammam for a cost of Rs 35 lakh were possible only with the help of TTD,” he said, adding that TTD also funded knee operations of over 550 individuals at the cost of about Rs 7 crore.
To drive home his point, the MLA said that TTD buys 45 per cent quota of rice to make prasadam from Telangana millers every month. TTD sources said that the proposals from Telangana past through Mr Veeraiah and Mr Reddy were accepted.
A top government official said there was no dip in number of devotees from Telangana visiting Tirumala for Lord Balaji darshan even after the bifurcation of the state.
“One may agree or not, but the state governments of TS and AP don’t share a cordial relationship. Also, legislators do not have that freedom to approach the TTD Board without informing the government. In a way, Telangana temples and devotees are losing out on TTD’s financial incentives,” the official said.
