Bhiknoor temple lands encroached, alienated

​Kamareddy: Bhiknoor Siddarameshwara temple is a famous one in the district as devotees in large numbers from Nizamabad, Medak, Karimnagar, Hyderabad and many other places throng the temple throughout the year.

The officials, who audited the temple accounts recently found irregularities in the accounts. They exposed the excesses of the temple staff and the officials. The temple has lands in Madhapur Rameswarapalli, Kaachaapur, Kancherla Pedda Mallareddy, Sangameswar and in other villages too, which account for 201 acres.

The estimated value of these lands is around Rs 12 crore. The officials of the Audit department revealed that the officials aren’t collecting lease amounts from the tenant farmers.

All these lands used to be in the name of the temple. However, with the passage of time, the tenant farmers by conniving with revenue department officials allegedly got the lands registered in their names.

The revenue department officials issued passbooks also to the tenants. The temple land (3.29 acres) bearing survey no 21, 22 and 23 has been illegally allotted to two people while the title of 2.21 acres land bearing survey no 31 in Pedda Mallareddy was also changed in the records. The audit officials came to know that the changes might have been made during 1997-98.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Tuesday, Audit Officer Vijayalakshmi said that the temple lands have been subjected to encroachments. She said that most of the lands were adjacent to the national highway.

It is learnt that a few of these lands are being cultivated by tenants and the remaining are in the hands of political leaders.

The audit officials also revealed that there were no receipts for the donations made by devotees in cash. There are irregularities in maintaining receipt books. It is alleged that the officials of the endowments department have never intervened in spite of the fact that such irregularities were taking place for the past 20 years.

There are irregularities in hundi offerings and Annadanam programmes too. The endowment department, which has to revise lease agreements every year, hasn’t done it for a decade.

On the other hand, the tenants aren’t paying any lease. There are allegations that the temple executive committee members and staff never paid attention to issues relating to the properties of the temple.

Speaking to this correspondent, devotees have demanded that the endowment department should enquire into such irregularities. They opined that the temple properties should be taken back by the State government.

They demanded stringent action against those trying to grab temple properties.