TIRUMALA: In the wake of Omicron threat, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Friday reiterated that only pilgrims with Covid-19 negative report of the test done 48 hours before their pilgrimage or full vaccination certificate will be allowed to Tirumala for darshan of Lord Venkateswara.
Though the TTD has been implementing the mandatory norm since October 1, there were several instances when pilgrims without the Covid-19 negative report or full vaccination certificate were sent back at Alipiri checkpost by security and vigilance staff.
In the wake of fresh guidelines from the Centre and the State government to curb the spread of Omicron, the TTD once again appealed to pilgrims not to visit Tirumala without the Covid-19 negative report or full vaccination certificate. The TTD which made the norm mandatory to visit all the temples under its control, urged pilgrims to cooperate with the Devasthanams in its efforts to ensure the safety of temple staff.
Meanwhile, the TTD sold 4.6 lakh Special Entry Darshan (`300) tickets for January online within 65 minutes of releasing the next month quota. On an average, 7,000 darshan tickets were booked per minute. No technical glitches took place during the online sale of January quota of darshan tickets.
Issuance of free online Sarva Darshan tokens put on hold
The TTD allotted 20,000 tickets for the New Year Day. The daily darshan ticket quota was the same for 10 days from January 13 to 23 in view of Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam. For the remaining 20 days, 12,000 darshan tickets were allotted per day.
The TTD decided not to issue free Sarva Darshan tickets online on Saturday. Normally, free darshan tickets are issued online on the next day of releasing the Special Entry Darshan quota. It is planning to issue Sarva Darshan tickets offline from January. A final decision on the issue will be taken after observing the Covid-19 situation as one of the four Omicron cases in the State was reported from the temple town.
Buoyed by the success of its initiative of allowing devotees hailing from the Below Poverty Line for darshan of Lord Venkateswara during the annual Brahmotsavams, the TTD has decided to implement the same during Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam. It will allow 1,000 people from BPL families per day to have darshan from January 13 to 23.