Yadagirigutta gets TTD-like admin body

Hyderabad:The Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed the Telangana Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments (Amendments) Bill, 2025 by voice vote, paving the way for the establishment of the Yadagirigutta Devasthanam (YTD) Board, on the lines of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Board.

The Bill also allows the government to form a board of trustees for temples with an annual income exceeding `100 crore. For temples with an annual income between Rs 1 crore and Rs 100 crore, a 14-member board will be constituted. Temples earning between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually will also have a 14-member trustee board.

Endowments minister Konda Surekha, who introduced the Bill in the House, said that Telangana has 12,434 temples under the endowments department, categorised under various sections.

Surekha that the YTD Board for Yadagirigutta temple would comprise 18 members, including representatives from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Backward Class (BC) communities, a woman member, and an MLA or MLC.

The board will oversee temple administration, manage educational institutions, vedic schools, and gaushalas. She said Yadagirigutta's annual income has reached `224 crore at present and it is important to engage personnel from diverse backgrounds by forming a Trust Board that include community leaders, technical experts and representatives from both governmental and non-governmental organisations for enhancing the comfort of pilgrims.

Surekha clarified that board members would not receive any salaries from the government or the temple, except for travel and daily allowances. Their tenure will be two years from the date of taking the oath of office.

The Bill proposes the development of a "temple city", covering 1,241 acres of Yadagirigutta temple land, encompassing three municipalities and six villages under three gram panchayats. Surekaha said that activities such as begging, livestock grazing, drug consumption, gambling, and unlicensed businesses will be prohibited in the Temple City.

The government will establish a Hindu Dharmika Prachara Parishad with an annual budget of Rs 1 crore for religious and dharmic activities.

Surekha said that the temples were witnessing huge rush of women devotees after the Congress government started implementing the Mahalakshmi free bus travel scheme. This has also contributed to increased earnings for temples in the form of hundi collections and other donations.

Participating in the debate, Congress MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy proposed renaming the board as ‘Yadagiri Gutta Devasthanam’ (YGD) Board. He urged the government to compensate landowners who gave up their land for temple expansion and those who lost their businesses due to reconstruction. He sought a dedicated Metro Rail line from Hyderabad to Yadagirigutta to facilitate easy travel for devotees.

Alair Congress MLA Beerla Ilaiah criticised the previous BRS government for its alleged inaction in developing facilities at the temple. BRS member Vemula Prashanth Reddy defended the previous administration, highlighting former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's role in reconstructing the temple.

BRS member T. Harish Rao stressed the need for a government medical college in Yadagirigutta to manage emergencies, given the presence of AIIMS in Bibinagar. He also called on the state government to establish a trust board for the Vemulawada temple, highlighting its revenue surpassing Rs 180 crore this year.