No differences among us, say TTD chief, EO and Additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary

Naidu stressed that collective efforts are being made to ensure transparent services for devotees.
TTD Chairman BR Naidu speaking at a press conference on Monday
TTD Chairman BR Naidu speaking at a press conference on Monday Photo | Express
Updated on
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TIRUMALA: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman BR Naidu, Executive Officer J Syamala Rao and Additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary on Monday condemned the rumours of differences between the Board and officials, dismissing them as baseless.

Naidu stressed that collective efforts are being made to ensure transparent services for devotees. His statement was significant in light of recent doubts over the coordination between the TTD Board and officials following the tragic Tirupati stampede, which claimed six lives.

Speaking at a press conference alongside TTD EO J Syamala Rao and Additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary, Naidu urged devotees not to believe the false propaganda being spread about Tirumala on social media.

Acknowledging that there may have been some delay in executing the Board’s decisions due to technical reasons, the TTD chief emphasised that allegations of a lack of coordination between himself and Rao were entirely false. He requested the media to cross-check facts before publishing reports related to Tirumala, as these matters concern the sentiments of millions of people. Naidu dismissed reports suggesting that the stampede occurred due to a lack of coordination between the TTD Board and officials, emphasising, “We are progressing with everyone’s coordination.”

He highlighted the elaborate arrangements made for devotees to have a smooth darshan during the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshan, which runs from January 10 to 19. 

Regarding the TTD’s response following the unfortunate incident, BR Naidu said, “We ensured that the injured devotees received immediate medical assistance. Ex-gratia was also provided to the families of the deceased. The injured devotees were given special darshan on the auspicious Vaikunta Ekadasi, and arrangements were made to ensure they safely returned home after the darshan. While pilgrims expressed gratitude to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and TTD for providing special darshan, social media platforms have been spreading malicious rumours about the TTD, which is hurting the sentiments of devotees. This is not correct.”

Furthermore, EO Syamala Rao highlighted several initiatives launched for pilgrims over the past six months. “The quality of Laddus, Annaprasadams, and ghee has been improved. A vision document for Tirumala and Tiruchanoor is also in progress,” he said.

Rao clarified that the TTD’s jurisdiction is limited to Tirumala, while issues pertaining to administration, and law and order in Tirupati falls under the District Collector and SP. However, he pointed out that multiple inspections and meetings were conducted with district officials to ensure proper arrangements for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan, including the placement of barricades, erection of queue lines, and adequate lighting.

“As for crowd management, that responsibility lies with the police. The unfortunate incident occurred due to some protocol issues. An investigation is currently underway, and the judicial inquiry will reveal the exact cause of the mishap,” he explained.

Additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary mentioned that an institutional audit had been carried out to identify technical and process-related issues within the administration, which has produced positive results.

“To streamline accommodation, the donor system, and darshan, TTD has invited top experts from across the country who have proposed various methods for improving queue line management, solid waste management, and addressing public grievances through technology,” he said. Chowdary also highlighted reforms in the distribution of Annaprasadam, noting that previously only 8,000 pilgrims were served, but now the number has increased to 35,000 per day. “Even the waiting time has been reduced to 6-8 hours for common pilgrims and three hours for VIP Break Darshan,” he added.

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