HYDERABAD: Officials of the Venkateshwara Swamy Temple in Thumkunta of Shamirpet alleged encroachment of temple land by a group of locals seeking to construct a Mallanna temple, in breach of the law and the ‘agama sampradayam (religious beliefs)’.
Temple founder-trustee and priest, M. Tirumala alleged that he was threatened by the land grabbers.
Recently, minister Ch Malla Reddy visited the temple and tried to convince the priest’s family to allow the construction of the Mallanna temple. After his visit, locals moved ahead with construction activity.
“The encroachers misguided local MLA and minister for labour Ch. Malla Reddy,” Tirumala said.
He said that he had submitted memoranda to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and DGP Anjani Kumar on the matter.
Tirumala said that the land for the temple was allotted centuries ago and his family had been serving the presiding deity and protecting the land for generations. “For last 20 years, a group of people are trying to encroach on the temple land. Of 15 acres, only 9.25 acres are available in the temple premises,” he said.
He alleged that influential persons were involved in the encroachment, as illegal plot layouts were also being made. “Neither police nor other officials are not responding over our complaints regarding encroachment of temple land,” he said.
