Assam clears 25 acre land in Guwahati for TTD temple
- This is much more than the earlier proposal of 10.8 acre
- Assam CM’s decision follows exchange of letters with A CM, stressing temple’s role in Northeast
- Assam govt also pledges financial support; TTD to begin formalities for early construction
- TTD chief B R Naidu thanks Assam govt for its decision
Tirumala: The Assam government agreed in principle to allot 25 acres of land in Guwahati for the construction of a Sri Venkateswara Swamy Divya Kshetram, significantly increasing the earlier proposal of 10.8 acres. The decision follows an exchange of letters between the chief ministers of Assam and Andhra Pradesh and is aimed at establishing the first major Sri Venkateswara temple in Northeast India.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board chairman B R Naidu said in a statement on Saturday that the Assam government had initially consented to allot 10.8 acres in Kamrup Metropolitan district near Guwahati.
However, on December 7, the additional chief secretary to the Assam Chief Minister K K Dwivedi wrote to the TTD chairman conveying concerns raised by the administrators of an existing Sri Balaji temple and cultural complex at Garchuk in Guwahati. They feared that a new TTD-managed temple in the same region could affect the functioning of the existing shrine.
In the letter, the Assam government suggested that TTD consider alternative locations such as Silchar or Dibrugarh, both rapidly developing cities in the state. The matter was subsequently brought to the attention of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu by the TTD chairman.
On December 18, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister wrote to his Assam counterpart, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, outlining the commitment of the Andhra Pradesh government and the TTD to promote Sanatana Dharma by establishing at least one Sri Venkateswara temple in every state and Union Territory.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh had allotted 25 acres in Amaravati for a similar temple and requested Assam to consider a comparable allocation in Guwahati, given its importance as a hub for the Northeast. He also sought financial support from the Assam government for developing pilgrim amenities and conducting regular religious activities, including annadanam.
Responding positively, the Assam Chief Minister approved in principle the allotment of 25 acres in Guwahati and agreed to provide necessary financial assistance for development works.
