A 17-acre plot in New Town earmarked for a Durga Angan complex will instead be offered for a Tirupati Balaji temple to be built by the Ambani family, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said at a Kali Puja inauguration in New Town. The proposed temple is expected to become a major religious destination, according to the chief minister’s statement reported by the Times of India.
Adhikari said the Ambanis would buy the land from the state government and that he had set a condition requiring free prasad for devotees visiting the temple. “The Ambanis will buy the 17-acre plot to build a beautiful Tirupati Balaji temple. I have set one condition. I told them to construct a beautiful temple… which will become a religious place. But those who will go there have to be given free prasad. They agreed,” he said.
The plot had been selected by the previous Trinamool Congress government for a Durga Angan project. Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee had laid the foundation stone for the complex in December 2025. The project was intended to be developed by the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation, or Hidco, with an open-air space, greenery and a 20-metre-wide path around the temple.
According to details cited by Adhikari, the planned Durga Angan complex would have included a 54-metre-high main sanctum sanctorum, idols of 108 deities and 64 lion statues. A trust headed by the then chief secretary had also been formed to oversee the project.
Adhikari said the government would offer the land at a reasonable price rather than its commercial value. The source report does not provide the proposed sale price, the transaction timeline, the legal status of the earlier foundation stone or details of the approvals required for the new temple.
The chief minister also said the earlier government had initially identified another New Town site for Durga Angan but abandoned that plan after opposition from landowners. He said the 17-acre plot was subsequently selected for the foundation stone after pressure from members of the Hindu community.
Adhikari said he discussed the temple project with Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and his son Anant during a visit to their Mumbai residence for the family’s Ganesh Utsav celebrations on September 21. The report does not include a separate statement from the Ambani family, Reliance Industries, Hidco or the New Town development authorities confirming the proposed land purchase or construction schedule.
The proposed change places a religious destination within New Town’s planned urban framework and will require clarity on land transfer, development permissions, access arrangements and the infrastructure needed to manage future visitors. The next formal steps will depend on the state government’s land offer, the proposed purchase and approvals for construction.
