Endowment land encroachments continue unabated in district

Vikarabad: Encroachments of endowment’s land are going unabated in the district. It is alleged that as many as 150 acres of the land belong to Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple has been under the clutches of land sharks. Several philanthropists generously donated thousands of acres of land to the temple for years. These land spreads in the towns like Parigi, Doma, Kulkacharla, Thandur, Tharur, Vikarabad, Nawabpet. 

These lands were given to tenancy so that the income could be used for daily maintenance of the temple. The income was also used for development of the temple. 15 acres in Kothagadi, 20 acres in Tharur, 10 acres in Kerelli allegedly encroached by private people. They even tried to sell the lands by altering the name of the God from Anantha Swamy to Anantha Chary. Even in some records, the name was changed to Anantha Reddy. All the records were ready for the real estate purpose. But the recent initiative of the government watered their attempt. The altered records were not registered digitally in the process of purification of land records. But the land sharks are trying to sell the lands with the old records.

Surprisingly, the endowment department turned blind eye seems does not bother at all. When news about the land encroachment was out, the EO of the temple G Shekhar Goud said a case has been pending the High Court about the 10.29 acres of land in Kerelli village. “The lands are kept in prohibition list under section 22 (A) by the Endowment Commissioner. 

We take over all lands belong to the temple through court orders,” he said. He also said that criminal cases will be filed against those who try to encroach or sell the temple lands. On the other hand, devotees of the Lord urge the authorities to protect the lands before they stuck in the hands of land encroachers apart from taking position of the lands that have been already encroached.

BY E Mogulaiah