Telangana Government Cancels Allotment Of Sharada Peetham Lands To Hyderabad Water Board

The direction followed a review meeting held by the Chief Minister with senior officials at the Secretariat on Saturday evening after representatives of the Peetham brought to his notice the construction works that were being undertaken on the land that had been allotted to the water board.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister sought details of the constructions taken up under the aegis of the peetham on the land. He expressed anger that the officials had not informed him about the status of the construction on the site before allocating the land to the HMWS&SB, and instructed that the allocation be withdrawn.
He also advised the peetham representatives to meet IT minister D. Sridhar Babu and explain the details of the constructions and related issues.
The Cabinet, at its meeting on February 23, had decided to allot the Sharada Peetham land to the HMWS&SB for construction of key components of the Godavari Drinking Water Supply Project (Phase II & III) to address drinking water requirements in areas abutting the Outer Ring Road. The Cabinet had resolved to provide an alternative land parcel to the peetham at Shamshabad (Survey No. 725 in an HMDA layout) as compensation.

However, the Cabinet decision drew criticism from Opposition parties, which accused the Congress government of selectively targeting a Hindu religious institution.
Senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao visited the peetham on Saturday and alleged that the Congress government was attempting to demolish the Rajashyamala temple complex under the pretext of public works. He arrived at the Neopolis site in Kokapet after revenue and police officials reportedly visited the premises late at night and asked authorities to vacate.
Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar described the Congress government as a “demolition-driven administration,” alleging that houses of the poor and now temples were being targeted. Referring to Waqf Board land, he questioned why authorities were not acting against alleged encroachments there but were moving against the Sharada Peetham land.
In 2019, during the BRS regime, two acres in Survey No. 240 were allotted to Visakha Sharada Peetham in Kokapet with Cabinet approval. The Peetham paid ₹1.05 crore to the government, completed registration and secured HMDA permissions after paying ₹23 lakh. The premises include the Rajashyamala temple, a goshala, a Veda pathashala and annadanam facilities, where daily rituals have been conducted for several years.
Earlier, in an official statement issued on Saturday morning, the government said the Sharada Peetham land formed part of the 3.95-acre requirement identified by HMWS&SB for the project. Officials stated that rapid urbanisation and high-rise construction in the Neopolis and Kokapet belt had significantly increased water demand.
The proposed works include a 22.5 million litre master valancing reservoir, two elevated level service reservoirs, chlorination facilities and maintenance units. The Board presently has 8.75 acres at Khanapur, which officials said was insufficient for the full scope of the project. The Kokapet site, located at an elevation of approximately +592 metres, would enable gravity-based supply to Neopolis, Kokapet and parts of the Old City, Shaikhpet, Red Hills and Mehdipatnam, reducing pumping costs and electricity consumption.