Forum for Good Governance questions Telangana govt’s spending on temples and religious events

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy along with Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka laying the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the Machileshwara Swamy and Omkareshwara Swamy temples on the banks of the Musi, at Manchirevula, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

The Forum for Good Governance has urged the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL) to reconsider the proposed expenditure of ₹1,108.27 crore on the development of the Sri Omkareshwara Swamy Temple complex and keep the works on hold.

In a letter to MRDCL chairperson, forum president M. Padmanabha Reddy said the government had accorded administrative sanction for the amount in October, subject to the approval of the MRDCL board of directors.

The forum said the proposed expenditure on the temple complex was a misplaced priority, particularly when the State’s finances were in a precarious position and sectors such as health, education and infrastructure required greater financial support.

It pointed out that the government had already announced an allocation of ₹1,000 crore for the Godavari Pushkaralu, scheduled to commence in July next year, and that a portion of the funds had been released. It also referred to the Deputy Chief Minister’s statement that ₹2,500 crore would be spent on temple development along the Godavari, including ₹276 crore for the Bhadrachalam temple and ₹354 crore for the Sri Gnana Saraswati Temple at Basar.

Nearly ₹800 crore had already been spent on the Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara, the forum said, questioning the proposal to spend another ₹1,108.27 crore on the Omkareshwara temple complex.

The forum argued that spending such large amounts of public money on religious activities was objectionable in a secular country and requested the MRDCL chairperson to reconsider the proposal and keep the development works on hold.