Tirumala Tirupati temple seers have gone on a hunger strike demanding to stop the construction of Mumtaz Hotel near

Tirumala Tirupati temple seers have gone on a hunger strike demanding to stop the construction of Mumtaz Hotel near the temple premises. The seers, led by Srinivasananda Saraswati Swami, staged a protest against the land allotment for the construction of the hotel near Alipiri Srivari.

The seers are of the opinion that the luxury project would "violate the sanctity" of the seven holy hills, reported India Today. The seers started their hunger strike at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board office on Wednesday.

Notably, in November last year, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board passed a resolution demanding that the Andhra Pradesh Government should cancel the allotment of 20 acres of land given to Mumtaz Hotel.

As part of the project, the 5-star hotel with 100 rooms will be built on a 20-acre plot, reported India Today. The project is expected to be completed by 2026. According to the reports, 25 rooms will be added under the brand 'Trident'.TTD Chairman BR Naidu called the construction of the hotel near the temple premises "objectionable" and demanded that the land should be returned to the shrine board, reported the media house.

The previous YSRCP government allotted the land for the construction of Mumtaz Hotel in 2021-22. Meanwhile, the current Chief Minister of the state, Chandrababu Naidu, wanted to start the "Devalokam" project.

Notably, as per the agreement, the lease of the land given for the construction of the hotel is for 94 years