Tirumala seers are up in arms against Mumtaz Hotel project

Tirumala Tirupati seers have gone on a hunger strike against Mumtaz Hotel, saying the luxury project would "violate the sanctity" of the seven holy hills. They are seeking answers from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan.

The seers started their hunger strike at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board office on Wednesday. In fact, the TTD board had in November passed a resolution asking the Andhra Pradesh government to cancel the allotment of 20 acres of land given to Mumtaz Hotel in the Alipiri area adjacent to the Temple.

The plan is to build a 100-room, 5-star hotel on a 20-acre plot by 2026 and add 25 rooms later under the brand 'Trident'. It is supposed to be a Rs 250-crore project. The hotel was planned to be operational by March 2027.

TTD Chairman BR Naidu said the plan for a Mumtaz Hotel adjacent to the temple was "objectionable", and sought the land be returned to the shrine board. Naidu said, "After those documents changed hands there were plans to construct a five-star hotel named Mumtaz". The contention is that a hotel named Mumtaz on the route to the temple might hurt the sentiments of Hindus. "It is adjacent to the temple. So, it is highly objectionable to Hindus," said TTD's Naidu.

Chandrababu Naidu, in his last term as the Chief Minister, wanted to start a project called ‘Devalokam’. The government land was given to the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department for the Devalokam project in 2021-22.

But the YSRCP government of Jagan Mohan Reddy gave the land at the foothills of the Balaji Temple for the construction of Mumtaz Hotel. The agreement with the hotel company was made by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.

The lease of land, for which an agreement was signed in 2021-22, is valid for 94 years, including a four-year period of construction of the hotel, according to a 2024 director's report of Mumtaz Hotel Ltd. The hotel near Tirumala is supposed to have multi-cuisine, fine-dining restaurants, conference and banquet facilities, amenities like a coffee shop, bar and lounge, spa and fitness centre, and a swimming pool.

The project saw protests from the very beginning, and now the priests have gone on a hunger strike with Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan in their direct line of fire.