Is the State government’s plan to construct a pilgrim complex at Tirumala for ₹210 crore an inflated estimate? Yes, according to former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who said the cost had escalated from ₹26 crore in just a year.
Urging the government to stop the project forthwith, he said on Sunday that in less than a year’s time, the cost of the project under Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s governance had gone up to ₹210 crore. “The same project was estimated to cost ₹26 crore when I was Chief Minister,” he said in a tweet. Mr. Kumaraswamy was replaced by Mr. Yediyurappa at the helm in July 2019, and a delegation of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) officials met the latter in July 2020.
“Let us support the State government in its effort to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this is not the time to loot. The government should stop the project immediately,” he said, adding that supporting the government did not mean agreeing with corruption.
The State government’s plan for a modern pilgrim complex is to replace the existing old structures in Tirumala, and the 7.5-acre property currently in the government’s custody is a leased property situated behind the Lord Venkateshwara Temple.
Furthermore, he said the government was going to pay ₹200 crore to the TTD board for undertaking the construction and was paying ₹10 crore, at the rate of 5% of the total amount, to a private firm for design and architecture consultancy. “Is the Public Works Department not strong enough to take up this work? Is there no one in the department capable of designing? What is the need for this project in the times of COVID-19?” the JD(S) leader asked.
He also said the JD(S)-Congress coalition government had approved the project for ₹26 crore and had entrusted the construction to the PWD. The Yediyurappa government has entrusted the management of the building to the TTD, which means the complex may not be of any help to pilgrims from the State. “The government will have to pay maintenance cost to the TTD. It is like handing over its property to someone else,” he said.