Durga temple expansion meeting

The expansion process of Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam gathered momentum as senior officials on Thursday held a joint review meeting with residents who are likely to be affected by the proposed land acquisition.

The proposed expansion aims to upgrade the infrastructure and facilities for the growing number of devotees who visit the famous mountain shrine every year.

The meeting was attended by Chairman Temple Borra Radhakrishna, Managing Director VK Seena Naik, Director Revenue Division Vijayawada Vennela Srinu, officials from the Endowment Department and representatives of the Roads and Buildings Department.

Officials explained the preliminary land acquisition plan, under which five houses on Arjuna Street, 12 houses in Mallikarjunapeta near the northern steps leading to the temple and five houses located on a hill in the Mallikarjunapeta section are likely to be affected.

Residents and property owners who received prior information about the proposed acquisition attended the meeting and shared their opinions, concerns and expectations with officials. The interaction provided the affected families with an opportunity to directly present their demands and seek clarification on the rehabilitation and compensation process.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Executive assured the residents that the expansion project would be implemented in accordance with the legal provisions and that all efforts would be made to ensure that no injustice was done to the displaced families.

He said the authorities would soon conduct a joint field inspection of the identified sites to assess the ground situation and gather more inputs from stakeholders. Based on the findings of the inspection and discussions with the residents, a comprehensive report would be drawn up and submitted to the Foundation Commissioner for further action.

Published – 18 Jun 2026 23:33 IST