Maharashtra government hands over land worth Rs 500 crore for TTD's Balaji temple in Navi Mumbai

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams would soon begin the works on the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Ulwe, Navi Mumbai.

The construction of a grand Balaji temple in Mumbai has been in plans for eight years now. The Uddhav Thackeray government has now consented to donate a 10-acre plot in Navi Mumbai, while the Raymond Group of Gautam Singhania said it will bear the entire cost towards the construction.

On Saturday, Maharashtra tourism minister Aditya Thackeray handed over the documents of the land parcel to TTD trust board chairman YV Subba Reddy in the presence of the board members in Tirumala.

Reddy said that the plot is worth about Rs 500 crore and that CMD of Raymond Group Goutam Singhania has come forward to donate the temple's construction cost of about Rs 60 crore.

“Construction of the Mumbai temple in a spacious area has been awaited for the past eight years. The historical moment is going to become a reality soon,” Reddy said.

The TTD is also constructing a Lord Balaji temple in Jammu, foundation of which was laid at Majhin village in June last year.

The TTD board meeting held on Saturday took several decisions including reopening of the Srivari-Mettu footpath from Tirupati to Tirumala from 5 May. The alternative route to the popular Alipiri walkway was damaged at several places due to the unprecedented rains and heavy water flow from the hills in November.

The board gave nod to resuming the Divya Darshan tickets (for pilgrims walking up to the hill shrine from Tirumala), after the peak summer season ends.

The board has also approved Rs 35 crores towards laying of RCC roads and crash barriers along the Tirumala Ghat Roads, in two phases.

The TTD is setting up a bio-gas plant utilising the wet garbage in Tirumala in collaboration with the Indian Oil corporation collaboration.

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