TIRUMALA: Elaborate arrangements have been made for conducting the nine-day annual Srivari Brahmotsavams, set to commence from Tuesday, at Tirumala. The fete will be celebrated in the presence of devotees after a hiatus of two years. On Tuesday, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will arrive in Tirupati and flag off the first batch of electric buses to Tirumala.
He will later head to the hill shrine to offer silk robes and prayers to Lord Venkateswara. On Wednesday, Jagan will inaugurate the new Parakamani complex.TTD Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (CVSO) Narasimha Kishore said efforts are on to provide a pleasant and hassle-free darshan and vahana sevas for devotees during the ensuing Srivari Brahmotsavams.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the CVSO said three-level security checking and frisking would be carried out to ensure the safety of devotees.“Checks would be conducted at Alipiri checkpoint, inside Srivari temple and at Mada streets,” he said.
As many as 2,200 CCTV cameras have already been installed, while additional 1,500 are on the anvil in the third phase. “We are also planning to install CCTV cameras at the Ghat roads in a phased manner,” the CVSO added.
5,000 police personnel deployed at Tirumala temple
As many as 5,000 police personnel have been deployed to prevent thefts, law and order issues, Kishore said and added that 460 personnel of the special protection force (SPF) will also be deployed. For Garuda Seva, an additional force of 1,256 personnel would be deployed. He explained that security forces would focus on managing crowds. Once the influx of devotees cross manageable limits at Tirumala, people will be stopped at Alipiri, the CVSO said.
Galleries in Mada streets have a seating capacity of 1.25 lakh but can accommodate around 2.25 lakh people. Each of the eight gates at the Mada streets can accommodate up to 10,000 devotees. Kishore said special routes have also been earmarked for devotees to enter Sarva Darshan queues through VQC-1 and 2.
Meanwhile, TTD Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy opined that the annual festival is more important and significant this year, considering the unprecedented number of devotees thronging the hill shrine as the Covid restrictions have been relaxed.
“As pilgrims were not allowed during vahana sevas for the last two years, this time we are expecting huge influx of devotees at the four Mada streets,” the EO said. He said they have taken up emergency health initiatives like cardiovascular checkups at Srivari Mettu and Alipiri footpaths. As many as nine lakh laddus would be prepared as buffer stock, he said and added that the daily production of laddus has been hiked to five lakh from 3.10 lakh.
He noted that Garuda Seva and Puratasi Saturday, considered very auspicious by devotees from Tamil Nadu, were coinciding on October 1 and said special arrangements have been made. As plastic has been banned in Tirumala, the TTD officials urged the devotees to opt for steel or copper bottles instead of plastic ones.
The Temple Trust board has cancelled haratis on the day of Garuda Seva so that more devotees can have darshan. The TTD has also deployed 24 swimmers at Swami Pushkarini for the Chakrasnanam.