A protest has broken out in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati district. Many Sadhus held a large demonstration over the construction of a luxury resort at the foot of one of the seven sacred hills. The name of the resort is ‘Mumtaz Hotel’.

Led by Andhra Pradesh Sadhu Parishad president Srinivasananda Saraswati Swamy, a group of priests launched an indefinite hunger strike outside the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) administrative office. They are demanding an immediate halt to the construction of a resort near Alipiri Srivari Padalu.

The protesting priests argue that the hotel project vitiates the sacredness of the Tirumala hills and the Sri Venkateswara temple.

Additionally, they have called on Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who introduced the Tirumala Prakshalana project and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, a strong advocate of Sanatana Dharma, to address their concerns.

In November 2024, TTD Chairman BR Naidu passed a resolution urging the state government to revoke the allotment of 20 acres of land for the hotel project, as the board felt it would offend the sentiments of devotees.

This marks the second protest in recent months against the hotel's construction. Several religious groups and individuals across Andhra Pradesh have voiced their concerns on social media, arguing that such a project would undermine the sanctity of the Seven Hills and hurt religious sentiments.

In December 2024, members of the Hindu Chaitanya Samithi and other Hindu organisations organised a protest demanding an immediate halt to the construction of the Mumtaz Hotel near the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park.

In 2021, the Andhra Pradesh government, led by Jagan Mohan Reddy, issued a Government Order (GO) approving a large-scale luxury tourism project as part of the state’s 2020-2025 Tourism Policy, offering various incentives for its development.

As per the GO, Mumtaz Hotels Limited, a subsidiary of The Oberoi Group, was granted permission to construct a luxury hotel comprising 100 villas on a 20-acre plot. With an initial investment of ₹250 crore, the project was expected to generate around 1,500 jobs. It was designed to include multi-cuisine fine-dining restaurants, conferences, banquet halls and additional amenities such as a coffee shop, bar and lounge, spa and fitness centre, and a swimming pool.