Date:17/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/17/stories/2006021719560300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Chilkur temple devotees on agitation path

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD : Devotees of Balaji temple at Chilkur will conduct an `abhishekam' and villagers sit on fast on Friday to protest against the move of the Endowments Department to take over the shrine.

Talking to reporters after submitting a representation to Finance Minister K. Rosaiah here on Thursday, Temple's Protection Committee convenor M.V. Soundararajan said the movement to save the temple would begin immediately after the `abhishekam'.

On subsequent days groups of lawyers, musicians and cine actors would also take part in the protest. It was a unique temple as it was being run without hundi or any type of commercialisation, he said.

The Endowments Department was planning to take it over and introduce tickets and hundi collection.

The committee had been asking the Government to amend the law in accordance with the Supreme Court direction to exempt temples having an income of less than Rs.50,000 per year from the purview of the department.