The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) finds it challenging to collect the pending revenue dues for its buildings leased out to the Police Department, which over the years has accumulated to a staggering ₹7.35 core.
Several letters sent by the TTD to the department in this regard have yielded no result, its officials say, adding that the temple trust board could neither collect the dues nor get its premises vacated.
The TTD had temporarily leased out several buildings in Tirupati to the Police Department for carrying out their activities.
Thirteen rooms in the TTD’s erstwhile Sri Venkateswara High School in the heart of the town were leased out for a monthly licence fee of ₹1.51,307 for a year in July 2010 after the formation of Tirupati (Urban) Police District. With, no payment of the fees during the past ten years, the dues has accumulated to more than ₹6.11 crore.
Likewise, the dues pertaining to the eight portions leased out at TTD’s S.V. Rest House in Tirupati for a monthly fee of ₹10,553 is pegged around ₹1.19 crore.
In addition to these, the TTD is yet to get around ₹4.70 lakh for its building at Sri Padmavati Women Degree College which it had leased out for the camp office of the Superintendent of Police in April, 2001 for a monthly licence fee of ₹3,483. This apart, the TTD is yet to collect the licence fee for its building in the Nehru Street, which it claims, under unauthorised occupation of the department since 1989.
While the deliberations for the collection of the dues were on, the TTD found itself cornered when Tirupati SP reportedly dashed a letter in June, 2014, claiming that a whopping ₹123.47 crore was to be reimbursed to the department towards the AR guard charges. The Police Department reportedly urged the TTD to adjust the arrears of licence fees against it.
Letter to CS
The TTD, in turn, addressed a letter to the Chief Secretary last April, with a request to consider waiving off the pending arrears of guard charges of ₹74.72 crore. It said the government should henceforth bear the financial expenses involved in the engagement of the SPF personnel as the onus of safety and protection of temples rested on it.
Much to its dismay, the TTD received a memo from the Chief Secretary on June 4, 2020 wherein it was conveyed that the proposal submitted by it was rejected as the Finance Department did find it feasible.
