The Oberoi land allotment issue in Tirumala is gradually getting worse leading to political chaos between YSRCP and TTD. Senior YSRCP leader and former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy objected to the transfer of TTD land to the Tourism Department as a grave injustice. He suggested that 25 acres near the airport could be allotted to the Ministry of Tourism.
However, the TTD has denied Bhumana’s allegations and countered by saying that the YSRCP government itself allotted the land to the Oberoi Hotel. It stated that during the previous government’s tenure, 20 acres of land belonging to the Tourism Department in Alipiri was allotted to the Oberoi Hotel on November 24, 2021.
It explained that since it was known that the tourism department had allotted the said land to the Oberoi Hotel, Hindu groups, Swamijis and devotees have expressed objections on a large scale. In this context, it stated that as per the resolution passed in the TTD board meeting held on November 18, 2024, the land should be allotted to the TTD instead of the Oberoi Hotel.
In this context, the TTD said that the tourism department had agreed to give the land adjacent to the feet of the Swami on the north side to the TTD and requested that the land be allotted on the other side of the road instead of the said land. In this regard, another resolution was passed in the board meeting held on May 7, 2025, and accordingly, a letter was written to the government expressing its consent to the transfer of the land, TTD explained.
TTD stated that the board meeting held on July 22, 2025 approved the transfer of the tourism land located at the feet of the Swami in Alipiri to TTD and similarly the TTD land located on the south side of the road to the Tourism Department.
It stated that with the intention of protecting the sanctity of Tirumala, TTD has decided to utilize the sacred land located on the north side of the road for the provision of facilities to devotees keeping in mind the future needs.
It clarified that several structures have already been built on the south side of the Alipiri- Cherlopalli road, due to which the land on the south side has been allocated to the Tourism Department and the sacred land located on the north side adjacent to the Tirumala hill has been taken.
It concluded that the area on the north side of the Alipiri road adjacent to the Tirumala hill is crucial for TTD in view of the sanctity and security of Tirumala. It commented that Bhumana Karunakar Reddy’s baseless allegations on this are not justified.