Ammapalli temple lands to be given on lease

Hyderabad: Consider this! Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy Temple in Ammapalli owns vast lands spread over 250 acres but it gets a mere Rs.3 lakh per annum towards lease amount for varied reasons. It is quite popular as many Telugu and other languages movies were shot on the temple premises till recently. The management of 13th century […]

Hyderabad: Consider this! Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy Temple in Ammapalli owns vast lands spread over 250 acres but it gets a mere Rs.3 lakh per annum towards lease amount for varied reasons. It is quite popular as many Telugu and other languages movies were shot on the temple premises till recently. The management of 13th century temple, located close to Shamshabad airport, announced open auction of 200 acres on lease to be offered for a term of three years.

These lands are spread over different survey numbers in Ammapalli, Narkhuda villages. The lands are leased on a condition that they should be used only for agriculture purposes and other activities are not permitted. The auction is to be conducted on June 20 at the temple premises, which covers about 10 to 15 acres, a senior official from the temple told Telangana Today.

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The striking aspect about the auction is the temple management gets about Rs.3 lakh per annum through lease amount. On an average, Rs.1,500 to Rs.2,500 per acre per annum are paid towards lease amount by the bidders. Interestingly, the rules and regulations for the auction are announced only one hour before the proceedings commence on June 20.

Telangana Government is extending 24-hour free power to farmers and there is plenty of water available for cultivation of lands. Yet, the temple management gets about lease amount Rs.1,500 to Rs.2,500 per acre per annum.

Explaining the reasons, the senior official said majority of the lands were usually bid by families, which have been obtaining the lands on lease since many years. They nominally increase the lease amount during every term of three years.

“But going by the current situation and agriculture growth in the State, the temple should get more lease amount than what was being generated,” the official added. Temple managements across the State offer temple lands on lease as a means to save them from encroachments, generate revenue and ensure good use of the lands. Despite owning vast lands, the annual revenue of the Ammapalli temple is Rs.1.30 crore. These include lease amount, seva tickets and other sources like permitting pre-wedding shootings.

Earlier, the temple management was allowing film shootings on the temple premises but since last few years, no film shootings were being permitted. The Film Development Corporation had fixed Rs.10,000 for eight-hour shoot and Rs.2,000 towards maintenance costs. While, the Rs.10,000 had to be paid through a demand draft drawn in favour of the Temple Executive Officer, Rs.2,000 had to be paid in cash immediately after the shoot.

However, the film shootings have been banned, citing different reasons like shooting indecent sequences on the temple premises. Instead, now pre-wedding shootings are being permitted at the temple on payment of Rs.3,000 for a single shoot.