Govt commited to protect Mutt in Maharashtra: Minister

Hyderabad, Aug 3 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister J C Diwakar Reddy today denied the charge that the Government was doing 'nothing' to remove encroachment of over 900 acres of land belonging to the Tirupati-based Swami Hathiramji Mutt at Panvel in Maharashtra.

Narrating the sequence of a protracted legal battle to annul the unauthorised sale of Mutt lands by the Mutt's former agent Raghuvar Dasji's son Koushelender Dasji, the Minister told newspersons here that the notice of motion to restrain the defendants and their men to alienate and change physical features of suit schedule property had been posted for enquiry by the Bombay High Court on August 11 The Government was in the process of recovering 450 acres of land belonging to an Amaravati-based mutt near Chennai, he said, adding that the department had got cancelled pattas issued by the Tamil Nadu Government to some farmers.

Urging newspersons not to sensationalise news concerning the Endowments department, as it would affect the religious sentiments of devotees, he said, of the over 2000 acres of land belonging to the Hatiramji Mutt, 521.37 acres of lands were sold in public auctions and another 112.20 acres through private negotiations and, as much as, 101.87 acres were under leases.

Sating that whenever the department was not in a position to protect temple land, it preferred to sell them, as 250 acres of land belonging to the Simhachalam temple in Visakhapatnam were handed over to the Urban Development Authority to develop plots for sale, apart from taking five per cent of the sale proceeds as administrative charges.

UNI SM KVV VA PC1836