Row over Badvel temple management

Kadapa: The Sridevi Bhudevi Sametha Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy temple located in heart of Badvel town embroiled in the controversy after the Endowments department has taken over the control of temple from a private trust board.

Members of the private trust board, who were responsible for temple construction, have taken up the issue with Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu seeking his intervention. They are also planning to launch an agitation by involving devotees.

According to the sources, relatives of late Konda Avadhootha Swamy have handed over the 4 acres of land along with ashram to the Endowments department few years ago. However, some persons belong to Badvel town had tried to encroach the Ashram land following the negligence of the Endowments department.

To prevent the land from encroachment, 600 devotees of Badvel town have formed a private trust board and constructed Sridevi Bhudevi Sametha Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy temple, Kalyanamandapam and Annadanamandapam in 2014 after taking permission from the Endowments department.

Meanwhile, the officials have brought the temple under the Endowments department and appointed an Executive Officer for the temple on September 26, 2016 leading to dispute between the trust board members and the government. The temple EO locked the trust board office on October 10, 2016 and lodged a police complaint against the board members to prevent their entry into the temple.

To know the reasons for the row over the temple management, Regional Joint Commissioner (RJC) of Endowments T Anuradha had conducted an enquiry on November 29, 2016 and submitted a report to the government.

Trust board chairman S V Subba Rao said the temple was constructed after taking permission from the Endowments department. He stated the trust had spent Rs 4 crore for the construction of the temple. He alleged the government is hatching a conspiracy to take over the temple after its Hundi collection has rose to Rs 30 lakhper year.

Speaking to The Hans India, Assistant Commissioner of Endowments T Sankara Balaji admitted that the trust was responsible for the construction of temple. But, the temple is under the control of the Endowments department and the government had contributed Rs 25 lakh towards the temple construction, he stated, saying that the trust board had failed to submit the accounts related to collection of funds.

By M Srinivasa Rao