TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is gearing up for the annual Srivari Brahmotsavam, scheduled from October 4 to 12, with all preparations to be completed by the end of September, said Executive Officer J Syamala Rao. He assured that efforts are underway to ensure pilgrims face no inconvenience. Additionally, the annual Pavitrotsavams will be observed from October 15 to 17.
During his maiden ‘Dial your EO’ programme at Annamayya Bhavan in Tirumala on Friday, Syamala Rao informed devotees about the upcoming religious events and recent initiatives aimed at improving pilgrim services. To provide more darshan time for common pilgrims, the SRIVANI offline quota tickets have been restricted to 1,000 daily from July 22, with 900 tickets issued at Gokulam Rest House in Tirumala and 100 at the Tirupati Airport current booking counter. The EO highlighted measures taken to enhance the quality of Srivari Anna Prasadam and ensure continuous distribution of food and milk in queue lines. Three officers have been designated to supervise amenities for pilgrims in queue lines, ensuring the availability of Annaprasadam, water, and medical facilities.
Steps have also been taken to eliminate brokers at Tirumala, provide affordable and hygienic food in all Tirumala hotels, and improve the quality and taste of Srivari Laddus. The TTD IT mechanism has been strengthened to support these initiatives.
He reiterated the importance of clean and quality food for devotees. To ensure health safety, the Food Safety Department will train hotel staff on hygienic practices. All Tirumala hotels must obtain a Food Safety Department certificate to operate. After the programme, the EO spoke to mediapersons, detailing recent improvements like increasing SSD tokens from 1.05 lakh to 1.47 lakh per week to reduce waiting times for pilgrims.