NAVI MUMBAI, Jan. 20 -- The Maharashtra cabinet on Saturday approved the allotment of a 3.6-acre land parcel in Ulwe to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) at a token rate of Rs.1 per square metre, waiving all allied charges. The plot will be used to construct the proposed Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on January 17 and formalises a proposal that was under consideration for several months. The land is located in Sector 12 of Ulwe, a rapidly developing node under the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), close to the Navi Mumbai International Airport and the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (Atal Setu). According to CIDCO officials, the plot was originally processed under CIDCO's standard land policy, which envisages allotment at prevailing rates. However, the TTD sought parity with an earlier decision in Navi Mumbai, under which land had been allotted to the trust at a nominal rate for a Tirupati (Lord Venkateswara) temple. This is the third such allotment of prime land to the TTD in recent years. On November 5 last year, HT had reported ('State allots Bandra land to TTD for Rs.1 lease') that the TTD had been allotted a 395-sq m prime plot in Bandra's Kherwadi on a 30-year lease at a nominal rent of Rs.1 per year. This follows a similar allotment to the trust in 2019. Regarding the allotment at Ulwe, a CIDCO official said, "CIDCO approved the request and submitted the proposal to the government for clearance. The cabinet accepted the request for allotment at Rs.1 per square metre, citing the precedent set earlier for the Tirupati temple and the non-profit, religious character of the trust," the official said. "Given the public nature of the institution and earlier policy decisions, the government agreed to extend similar concessions." Under the cabinet decision, the state government has agreed not only to allot the land at a symbolic price but also to waive the usual land premium and other associated infrastructure charges, a significant concession in view of Ulwe's sharply appreciating land values driven by major transport and airport-linked development. The TTD, which manages the world-renowned Venkateswara temple in Tirumala (Tirupati Temple) and the Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple at Tiruchanur in Andhra Pradesh, had sought land in Navi Mumbai to build a temple dedicated to Goddess Padmavathi Ammavari, revered in Hindu tradition as a form of Goddess Lakshmi. TTD officials said the proposed temple is intended to cater to devotees from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and adjoining districts, allowing easier access to worship without the need for long-distance travel to Andhra Pradesh. "The idea is to serve the large number of devotees in the MMR and create a spiritual centre that is accessible year-round," a TTD official said. State officials pointed to the potential broader impact of the project. "Large religious institutions typically generate steady footfalls, which supports local economic activity and religious tourism," an official said, adding that the trust will bear the entire cost of construction, upkeep and management of the temple. CIDCO is expected to issue the formal allotment letter once procedural requirements are completed, after which the TTD can move forward with detailed architectural and construction plans, subject to local planning norms and statutory approvals. According to a trust official, "The proposed Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple is envisioned as a replica of the traditional Tirupati-Tiruchanur shrines, following Dravidian architectural principles rooted in Shilpa Shastra and Agama traditions." He added, "Plans include a grand rajagopuram, a vimana above the sanctum, and multiple mandapams for rituals, with granite stone to be used as the primary construction material." The project has also faced scrutiny from environmental groups, given Ulwe's coastal location. Officials said these concerns were addressed after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) dismissed a petition in July 2025, following an affidavit by the TTD committing to no construction within the ecologically sensitive mangrove buffer zone and confining all permanent structures to areas classified as non-CRZ. Flood-mitigation measures, including an elevated plinth, have also been incorporated into the design, officials said....