Endowments examining Sai Trust takeover

HYDERABAD: Speculation is rife over the possibility of the government taking over the Satya Sai Central Trust following instructions to the trust to submit a report to the government on its financial and social activities. Though the government has no immediate plans to take over the trust, officials are not ruling it out in future.According to sources, the option of taking over the trust was discussed during the emergency meeting convened by chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy at Secretariat Wednesday. The chief minister is learnt to have differed with the notion that a takeover of the trust would hurt the sentiments of Sai devotees. The Endowments Department is said to have been asked to examine the legal aspects of a takeover."Officials were asked to examine the possibility of withdrawing the exemptions given to the Satya Sai Trust from application of the Endowments Act. The chief minister wanted officials to be prepared to take action in case things go out of hand. They were also instructed to look into stipulations that can be imposed on the trust to monitor its activities,” a senior official said. Apart from asking the trust to submit a report on its activities, intelligence officials were also asked to prepare a separate report on the trust.