VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered officials to survey endowment lands in the state and geo-tag them to prevent their misuse.
Reviewing the working of endowments department at his camp office here, the CM asked officials to introduce best practices in temples of the state – from online booking of sevas to preparation of prasadam; just as being practised at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). He maintained that this would prevent the scope for corruption in temples. Revenues generated from a temple should be generated for development of the particular temple and those in the nearby areas, he ordered.
The Chief Minister said online system should be such that any donor is able to donate to any temple online. There must be a dashboard displaying all details.
Jagan Mohan Reddy advised that all protective measures be taken to prevent encroachment of temple lands and their misuse. For the purpose, each district should have a protection committee including the respective district collector, superintendent of police and a government lawyer. He pointed out that more than 47,000 CCTV cameras have been installed at 18,000 temples in AP for safety and protection purposes.
The CM said for the first time, AP government is spending nearly ₹ 70 crore for development works at Kanaka Durga Temple. He instructed officials to focus on quality of accommodation and prasadam at temples. He suggested that the process of making laddus in Tirumala could be introduced in other temples also.
The Chief Minister asked officials to prepare master plans for all temples, including Srisailam. There should be regular transparent audits at all major temples to ensure that funds are not misused. He wanted appointment of an SP-level officer for vigilance and security in the endowments department.
Jagan Mohan Reddy said in keeping with traditions, the state government has quashed retirement of hereditary priests. This will be applicable to all temples in the state. He assured that salaries of priests will also be increased. Further, officials must focus on allotting house sites to priests, he stated.
Endowments minister Vellampalli Srinivas, land administration chief commissioner Neerab Kumar Prasad, principal secretary (Endowments) G. Vani Mohan, TTD executive officer K.S. Jawahar Reddy and EOs of other major temples were present at the meeting.
