TTD land swap sparks row: Bhumana charges ‘plunder’, TTD rebuts with sanctity claim
Tirupati: A fresh controversy broke out on Sunday as YSRCP State spokesperson and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy charged Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with plotting to transfer valuable temple land to Oberoi Hotels, while the TTD countered that the land swap was intended to preserve the sanctity of Tirumala Hills.
Karunakar Reddy, addressing the media in Tirupati, claimed that 20 acres of TTD property in Tirupati’s urban limits—worth nearly Rs 1,500 crore, were being swapped for ‘low-value rural land’ belonging to the Tourism Department. He alleged the deal would inflict a loss of over Rs 1,000 crore on the temple trust.
He said a special TTD board meeting was convened on May 7 with a single agenda of land exchange, followed by a government order on August 7 approving the move. “The agenda papers concealed land valuations and misleadingly described the TTD property as ‘Inam land’ donated by devotees. This is nothing but a conspiracy,” he charged.
According to him, the exchange was designed to enable Oberoi Hotels to build a luxury facility at the doorstep of Lord Venkateswara, even closer to Tirumala Hills than a previous site once opposed by Chandrababu Naidu himself. “Why target temple land when vast government lands exist in Renigunta and Tirupati rural? This is a premeditated act of plunder, a direct assault on Hindu Dharma,” he said. Holding Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM K Pawan Kalyan and TTD Chairman BR Naidu responsible, Karunakar Reddy demanded withdrawal of the government order.
The TTD, however, rejected the allegations, stressing that the exchange was necessitated to keep the sacred Alipiri foothills under temple control. It recalled that in November 2021, the Tourism Department had allotted 20 acres at Alipiri to Oberoi Hotels, sparking widespread objections from Hindu organisations, Swamijis and devotees. In response, the TTD board in November 2024 resolved to seek control of the site to prevent ‘any defiling activity’ near the sacred hills.
Following the Chief Minister’s assurance in March 2025 that the foothills would be preserved, the Tourism Department sought alternate land across the road. The TTD board subsequently passed resolutions in May and July 2025 approving the swap, transferring its land south of the road to the Tourism Department, while securing the northern tract adjacent to the hills.
“The decision was taken solely to protect the sanctity and safety of Tirumala. The land near the hills will be used for pilgrim facilities, while the southern side already hosts several constructions. Allegations of handing over land to hotels are unfounded,” the TTD clarified.
