The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Temple land encroachment: MSR admits to officials' role

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Temple land encroachment: MSR admits to officials' role

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 16. The Endowments Minister, M. Satyanarayana Rao, has admitted to the role of officers of his department in the encroachment of vast areas of temple land.

Addressing a meeting of temple staff association here on Thursday, Mr. Rao owned moral responsibility for the encroachment of land. Recovery of land was the only solution to end the problem of remuneration to the staff and priests. The land could be put to productive use to generate income for them.

Appeal to staff

Mr. Rao appealed to the staff not to enter into confrontation with `archakas'. He referred to instances where temple managers dominated priests just because they were a source of income. Mr. Rao said he received several representations from priests to abolish the management system. If the situation was allowed to continue, the Government may be compelled to take a hard look into the controversy.

The Principal Secretary, Revenue, J.P. Murthy, asked temples to raise resources for their survival. The Commissioner, Endowments, P.V. Satyanarayana Murthy, said temple lands in the State extended over four lakh acres. In addition to 34,000 temples, there was an equal number of `maths' having valuable properties.

Temple problems

The Archaka Samakhya president, M.V. Soundararajan, said 90 per cent of the temple problems could be solved if the Endowments Act was modified. The present legislation gave scope for commercialisation and politicking. Temples should be run free of politics. He said the Endowments Department should be of regulatory in nature and not taken to appropriation.

The CPI (M) MLA, Paturi Ramaiah, demanded salaries to the staff from the treasury. This would enable them to discharge their duties freely.

Congress MLAs -- Perni Venkataramaiah and Magunta Venkateswara Rao -- and the BJP MLA, G. Kishan Reddy, also spoke.

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