Telangana: Govt trying to encroach temple lands by setting up solar plants, says VHP

Accuses government of using the 1987 Act to convert temple properties into government assets and subsequently sell vast tracts of land to private individuals

Hyderabad: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Telangana unit, opposed the State government’s proposal to set up solar power plants on temple lands and demanded that the government immediately withdraw the proposal.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, VHP State president B Narasimhamurthy alleged that this was a ploy to usurp temple lands under the guise of renewable energy initiatives. The government was merely a custodian of temple lands, not its owner, a fact repeatedly upheld by courts. However, governments had consistently misused their power to control temple affairs, leading to the mismanagement and loss of temple assets worth billions of rupees, he alleged.

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“In the name of setting solar power units on temple lands the government is trying to encroach it and sell it to individuals,” he alleged. Narasimhamurthy accused the government of using the 1987 Act to convert temple properties into government assets and subsequently sell vast tracts of land to private individuals.

The government had also encroached upon temple lands for its own projects, as evidenced by the acquisition of thousands of acres for the Hyderabad Outer Ring Road, he said. The VHP would launch a statewide protest if the government fails to meet the demand, he warned.