Annavaram temple plans to entrust ghat road maintenance to Roads & Buildings Department

By Express News Service

RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy Vari Devasthanam at Annavaram has approached the Roads and Buildings Department to repair and maintain the 8-km ghat road to the hill shrine, which is in a poor condition.

However, the bone of contention between the devasthanam and the R&B over the proposal is the collection of toll tax at the ghat road. While the devasthanam wants to establish a toll gate to collect tax from the vehicles of pilgrims visiting the temple, R&B says that it cannot allow that to happen as toll gates are not established and operated on any of the R&B constructed and maintained roads across the State. 

R&B executive engineer Prakasa Rao said, “The Annavaram Devasthanam authorities have approached us over repair and maintenance of the ghat road and they are likely to send a formal proposal soon. However, we can only take over the road after the State government issues an order.” The devasthanam has its own engineering wing that takes up large construction works worth crores of rupees.

“We have proposed to hand over the maintenance of the road to the R&B whereas the rights of the road, including the right to collect toll tax, will be vested with the devasthanam,” temple EO Suresh Babu said.

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