Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, on Friday, asked the Yadadri Temple Development Authority (YTDA) to make good use of the 2,157 acres, which the Revenue department will hand over to the former for creation of various amenities.
The land should be used for temple-related facilities, including parking and accommodating police, fire station, health and transport departments. House sites for temple priests and staff should be given within the same parcel. The CM asked the Yadadri Collector to allot house sites and patta certificates to local journalists outside the earmarked place, a release said.
Mr. Rao visited the shrine of the hill temple along with his family to offer prayers ahead of his proposed launch of a national party on Wednesday. He presented a cheque of ₹52.48 lakh as his personal contribution to the gold coating of the dome atop the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The amount was the cost of one kg and sixteen tolas of gold.
The YTDA had so far got six kgs and 617 grams of gold valuing ₹19.38 crore but the total cost of gold for raising the pinnacle with the yellow metal was estimated to be ₹65 crore.
The release added that he spoke over the phone to Principal Finance Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao to immediately release ₹43 crore for developmental works of the temple. He asked officials to secure Income Tax concessions under Section 80 G of the Act for donors of cottages.
The construction of temple town and cottages should reflect the spiritual ambience of the area and glory of the temple. The 250 cottages that will come up in the area should be divided into four categories and constructed with different designs of spiritualism.
Mr. Rao also asked officials to take precautions in granting permission for private constructions near the YTDA facilities. The forest area over 100 acres within the YTDA jurisdiction should be developed as a sanctuary in the name of the presiding deity of the temple. A separate facility in the name of the deity’s cohort should be constructed over 50 acres.
The drainage system should be perfect so as not to leave any stagnant water in the temple complex or the ring road. The income and expenditure of the temple should be transparent. Mr. Rao was accompanied by Ministers A. Indrakaran Reddy, G. Jagadish Reddy and V. Prashant Reddy and officials.
