Statehood activists want priority in Bhadradri Trust Board, decry delay in setting up the board

Activists associated with the 1969 Telangana movement urged the Congress government to immediately constitute the Bhadrachalam Temple Trust Board and give them priority in appointments. They criticised repeated delays in the process and called for respected and devout individuals to manage temple affairs

Kothagudem: The 1969 Telangana movement activists have demanded that the Congress government constitute the Bhadrachalam Temple Trust Board at the earliest and give priority to the activists in the board.

It may be noted that the government, in December 2024, issued a notification for constituting the trust board for Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Devasthanam in the district and invited applications from aspirants for trustee positions. However, the process has not moved forward.

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The delay is attributed to the alleged lack of consensus among district ministers Bhatti Vikramarka, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Tummala Nageswara Rao in selecting candidates to serve as chairman of the trust board as well as trustees.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Telangana Udyamakarula Vedika state honorary president Sravanaboina Narsaiah Mudiraj said applications were first accepted from the public in December 2024 for the formation of the Bhadrachalam Temple Trust Board.

However, even after a year, the board was not constituted. Instead, the process was unceremoniously cancelled, an act that served as an insult to the public. Subsequently, in December 2025, applications for the trust board were once again invited from the public.

Yet, despite six months having elapsed since then, there remains no progress or clarity regarding the formation of the trust board. This continued humiliation of the public over the past two years is deeply regrettable and unfortunate, Narsaiah, who applied for a trustee position on the board, lamented.

He appealed to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to constitute the trust board immediately and honour the activists who risked their lives fighting for the cause of separate Telangana by giving them due priority on the board.

Devout individuals, social workers and persons of integrity should be appointed as members of the board so that the temple affairs are managed in a respectable manner, he added.