Tirupati: The swapping of land between Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department has sparked a debate between the YSR Congress (YSRC) Party and the TTD administration. The opposition party has accused the TTD of compromising temple lands for commercial interests.Former TTD chairman and YSRC leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu orchestrated the transfer of high-value TTD property to Oberoi Hotels through a questionable exchange, potentially resulting in massive losses for the temple trust. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Karunakar Reddy disclosed that approximately 25 acres of TTD land in Tirupati, valued at nearly ₹1,500 crore, is being exchanged for lower-value land of the Tourism department in rural areas. He underlined that the swap could cause a loss exceeding ₹1,000 crore for the temple administration. The former devasthanam chairman said a special TTD board meeting had been organised on May 7, 2025 to approve the exchange, with a government order following on August 7 formalising the deal. He questioned why mentioning the value of the land had been omitted from the agenda and why the property donated by devotees had been referred to as Inam land. Karunakar Reddy said this raises doubts about the transparency of the entire process. He charged that the entire move had been orchestrated to allow Oberoi Hotels to construct a luxury property near the sacred Tirumala Hills, despite Chandrababu Naidu himself opposition the project when in opposition. “This is not development, it is daylight robbery,” the former TTD chairman maintained. He called on devotees to protest demanding an immediate rollback of the government order in this regard. Responding to Karunakar Reddy’s allegations, TTD termed his claims incorrect. It clarified that under the previous government, 24.68 acres near Lord Venkateswara’s Swami’s holy feet in Alipiri had been allocated to Oberoi Hotels in November 2021. This drew concern from devotees and religious organizations. Following this, TTD passed resolutions in November 2024, May 2025, and July 2025 seeking cancellation of the land allotment to ensure that the northern site adjacent to the sacred Tirumala Hills remained under TTD control. Instead, the southern land along Alipiri-Cherlopalli Road, where several structures already exist, has been transferred to the Tourism Department. TTD maintained that the decisions have been made to protect the sanctity and safety of the Tirumala Hills and to accommodate devotees’ future needs. The temple administration asserted that allegations regarding misuse of temple lands are unfounded and not in line with the devotees’ sentiments.
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