Telangana: Endowments department sends note to the government on Devaryamjal lands

Hyderabad: A note sent by the Endowments department officials to the government on Devaryamjal temple lands talks about a report by the former CCLA TK Diwan, who had suggested some kind of compromise solution on the lines of regularization as the only option which would be beneficial to both the parties- farmers and Endowments institutions.

According to sources, the department has sent a note to the government on the Sri Seetharama Swamy Temple in Devaryamjal. The report said that the only source available to know the properties endowed to the temple was Revenue Record that is Pahani Patrika of the year 1925-26, which is the oldest record. As per the Pahani an extent of 1,521 acres and 13 guntas covered in 103 survey numbers were shown in the name of Seetharama Swamy. Subsequently, the 'Sethwar' prepared in the year 1943-44, the survey numbers shown in the name of the temple were 639, 640, 641 and 664 to 716 (56 survey numbers), 885 acres and two guntas. Out of the 103 survey numbers shown in the name of the temple during 1925-26 only 56 survey numbers were recorded in the name of temple during 1943-44. The report says that the basis for change of entries was not known.

The note further says that in 2005, some farmers in Devaryamjal submitted a representation to the government stating that the lands of the temple were not at all endowments lands and those lands were their patta lands. Government appointed TK Diwan, the then CCLA as inquiry officer and asked him to submit a report as per GO 1230 dated June 22, 2005. The CCLA conducted detailed enquiry and submitted his report to the government stating the disputes referred can be left to be settled in Civil Revenue Courts treating it essentially as a 'Title Dispute'. He however suggested that some kind of compromise solution on the lines of regularization is the only option which will be beneficial to both the parties farmers and the Endowment Institutions.

Meanwhile, responding to a writ petition, the High Court ordered the government not to take up the sale of endowments lands without permission of the court till further orders and no compromise should be affected. Government issued orders prohibiting registration of immovable properties belonging to the temple.

It may be mentioned here that it is alleged that former Minister Eatala Rajender and other individuals had occupied a large portion of over 1,521 acres belonging to the temple worth more than Rs 1,000 crore and the government appointed a committee headed by Panchayat Raj commissioner M Raghunandan Rao asking them to give their report.