A view of Lord Venkateswara temple, at Tirumala. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
BJP leader G. Bhanu Prakash Reddy filed a PIL in Andhra Pradesh High Court difficult the utilisation of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) funds amounting to ₹100 crore yearly for sanitation and cleanliness works in 4 zones of Tirupati Municipal Corporation (TMC).
He said in the petition that spending TTD funds on non-religious actions is in violation of Section 111 of the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Act of 1987 and Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.
The TTD Board handed a decision approving the allocation of ₹100 crore per 12 months in its latest assembly and invited tenders by means of e-procurement for the works. These tenders are prone to be finalised in the TTD Board assembly scheduled to be held on December 16.
The TTD decision is for upkeep of colonies and all roads in Tirupati (every day fogging, assortment of rubbish, handbook sweeping of streets, footpaths and many others).
In the PIL submitted to the court docket by his advocate Y. Balaji, the petitioner identified that the TTD is maintained with donations and Kanukas (presents) given by devotees and these funds need to be spent solely on temple administration, spiritual programmes and welfare of the devotees.
“The TMC had a surplus revenue of roughly ₹4,984 lakh in 2023-24 and a capital surplus of ₹253 lakh, therefore, implementing the Corporation works with TTD funds is meaningless and unwarranted,” Mr. Bhanu Prakash Reddy noticed.