Siddhivinayak Temple Trust Chairman and MLA Sada Sarvankar has clarified that not a single rupee from the INR 500 crore fund sanctioned for the development of the Siddhivinayak Temple precinct will be spent on the temple itself. Instead, the funds will be used for traffic management, area beautification, and the creation of essential facilities for devotees.
The clarification comes amid criticism from opposition parties, which have questioned the use of municipal funds for the Siddhivinayak redevelopment project. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Sarvankar rejected the allegations and said that only INR 100-150 crore of the sanctioned amount is likely to be required for the proposed works. He added that the tendering process and work orders would be handled by the municipal corporation.
Sarvankar also dismissed allegations of financial irregularities, stating that no one would take commissions from the beautification funds. Taking a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT), he said those who had spent their careers taking commissions should not accuse the current administration. He further claimed that while previous trust administrations had used trust funds to purchase vehicles, the current trustees had not used trust money for any personal purpose.
He explained that the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust's funds can only be used for specific purposes under established regulations. Therefore, a separate request for government funding was made for the redevelopment and beautification of the surrounding area, which the government subsequently approved.
Highlighting improvements under the current trust administration, Sarvankar said several operational shortcomings had been addressed, leading to a significant increase in temple revenue. Weekly income, which previously stood at around INR 40-45 lakh, has now risen to approximately INR 94-95 lakh, he claimed.
Sarvankar also revealed that the trust has decided to acquire a building adjacent to the temple and has submitted a proposal to the government for approval. Once approved, the building will be used to provide additional facilities for devotees.
He added that the next phase of the redevelopment project would focus only on essential works aimed at improving the overall experience and convenience of devotees visiting the temple.
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