SHREE SAI BABA SANSTHAN TRUST`SHIRDI

EMPOWERED WITH AUTHORITY TO GIVE GRANTS

01st June`2011

The Maharashtra State Cabinet has cleared a proposal seeking

amendment to the "Shree Sai Baba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi)
Ordinance 2004", to empower India's second-richest Temple
Trust with the Authority to give Financial Assistance & Grants
to the Boards, Companies or Institutions falling under the
control of the State.

This Cabinet decision is spurred by the Government's requirement of

funds to implement a slew of Infrastructure and
Development projects at Shirdi, the holy land of one of the most
revered Spiritual Gurus, Shri Sai Baba, whose devotees span
across not only India, but all continents, and Baba's Temple is visited
by lakhs of people throughout the year.

The Temple falls under the jurisdiction of the State Department for
Law & Justice (L&J) and is managed by the Trust,
formed under the "Shree Sai Baba Sansthan Trust (Shirdi) Act 2004",
which was amended by way of an Ordinance, the same year.

According to the Shirdi Trust's Chief Accounts Officer,

Shri.Hemant Jadhavar,
1) The Temple's annual Income through Donations, Rent and
Interests, among others, is close to Rs.300 crore.
2) The Temple's Investments in Bank Deposits etc., are to the tune of
Rs.529 crore.
3) The overall worth of the Temple's Property is nearly Rs.1,000 crore.

Utilisation of the Trust funds is governed by section 21 of this

Ordinance. As of now, the section does not empower the Trust
to extend funds to State-controlled Boards, Companies or Institutions
for purposes like Development Projects.

Responding to a proposal moved by the L&J department,

the State Cabinet has decided to amend section 21 of the Ordinance to
facilitate the Trust to fund Infrastructure & Development Projects.
In 2010, the Government had launched the construction of the Rs.118-
crore phase I of the Shirdi Airport project over a 750-acre land at
Kakdi village, about 10 km from Shirdi, but the same has been held up
for nearly 6 months now owing to paucity of funds.

The Government had urged the Shirdi Temple Trust to provide

financial assistance of Rs.50 crore for the Airport project,
which is being implemented by the Maharashtra Airport
Development Company, a special purpose vehicle headed by
the Chief Minister.

It's not just the Airport, but funds are also required to operationalize a
Rs.200-crore makeover plan for Shirdi, mainly through the
Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. The plan was
cleared in July 2008 by the government, which had also announced
formation of the Shirdi Development Authority to recast Shirdi
Township on the lines of Tirupati.

Things haven't progressed much on the makeover front, barring few

steps like acquisition of land for the Ring Road project and some Road-
widening works. Overall, the Plan mentioned projects like construction
of a 6 km long Skywalk around Shirdi Temple,
Footpaths, Pedestrian Pathways, a 10-level-high multi-layer Parking
lot, Ring Road and a bypass road for the Traffic.
Similarly, widening and reconstruction of around 25 km of road in and
around Shirdi finds mention.