Protest against diversion of TTD funds

HYDERABAD: Several `peethadhipathis’ (heads of mutts) and religious leaders at different levels on Thursday staged a protest near Indira Park here on Thursday demanding an end to diversion of funds belonging to the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams.

The agitating `swamis’ who got together under the banner of the Temples Protection Committee demanded a survey, listing and computerisation of the details pertaining to properties owned by the estimated 34,000-odd temples in Andhra Pradesh and also said a firm `no’ to the ropeway project in Tirumala.

The religious leaders said out of the 34,000 temples, only 1,000 were maintained well and daily `sevas’ to the deities performed regularly. The 1,000 include all big temples in the State and under the control of Endowments Department. In thousands of the smaller temples, either nothing like regular `sevas’ were happening or nobody knew about other details.