The Maharashtra cabinet on Saturday approved the allotment of a 3.6-acre parcel of land in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai, to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for construction of the Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple, clearing the plot at a token price of Re 1 per square metre and waiving all allied charges.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on January 17, formalising a proposal under consideration for several months. The land is located in Sector 12 of Ulwe, a fast-developing node under the City and Industrial Development Corporation, close to the Navi Mumbai International Airport and the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (Atal Setu).

CIDCO officials said the plot was initially processed under the authority’s standard land policy, which provides for allotment at prevailing rates. However, TTD sought parity with an earlier decision in Navi Mumbai, where land had been allotted to the trust at a nominal rate for a Tirupati (Lord Venkateswara) temple. This marks the third such allotment to the trust in recent years, following similar concessions in Bandra East and a 2019 allotment.

Under the cabinet decision, the state has not only approved symbolic pricing but also waived the usual land premium and associated infrastructure charges—considered a significant concession given Ulwe’s sharply rising land values driven by airport- and transport-led development.

TTD, which manages the Venkateswara temple in Tirumala and the Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple at Tiruchanur in Andhra Pradesh, said the proposed Ulwe temple will serve devotees from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and nearby districts, offering easier access without long-distance travel. The trust will bear the entire cost of construction, upkeep and management of the temple complex.

CIDCO is expected to issue the formal allotment letter after procedural clearances, following which the trust can proceed with detailed designs and construction, subject to statutory approvals. According to trust officials, the temple will follow Dravidian architectural principles rooted in Shilpa Shastra and Agama traditions, featuring a grand rajagopuram, sanctum vimana and multiple mandapams, with granite as the primary material.

Environmental concerns related to Ulwe’s coastal location were addressed after the National Green Tribunal dismissed a petition in July 2025, following TTD’s commitment to avoid construction within mangrove buffer zones and confine permanent structures to non-CRZ areas. Flood-mitigation measures, including an elevated plinth, have also been incorporated.

The decision comes amid broader debate over concessional land allotments for religious institutions in high-growth urban areas. Government sources said the cabinet considered legal precedents, clearances and the trust’s non-commercial character before approving the proposal.