Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Executive Officer J. Syamala Rao.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is leaving no stone unturned to provide the best possible darshan to the visitors who have booked their darshan slots in advance, but the rush of unscheduled visitors continues unabated.
Even as the management has put in place multiple modes of advanced booking of darshan to ensure smooth functioning of the system, there is no respite in terms of inflow of unscheduled visitors, who continue to throng in large numbers.
Normally, devotees clad in yellow robes, take a vow and start their holy trek to Tirumala without making any advance booking. Most of such devotees are from Chennai, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Salem and beyond, at times covering more than 400 km by foot, during the auspicious Tamil month of Purattasi.
“We are considering ways to ensure them a decent darshan within the minimum possible time on a par with those who arrive by booking their slots,” says TTD Executive Officer J. Syamala Rao.
Mr. Rao has been specially hand-picked by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to take up reformative measures at the TTD and place the administration back in its groove.
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu here on July 31 (Wednesday), Mr. Rao recalled that he had undertaken a comprehensive study of the system vis-a-vis Annaprasadam (food served to devotees), distribution of laddu prasadam, the quality and taste of food served at the private hotels and restaurants at Tirumala, besides the IT-based applications that can make a pilgrim’s visit hassle-free.
He explained that the TTD was in touch with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to gain access to validate Aadhaar cards, an exclusive right that is currently available to certain government sector institutions.
“Currently, we are verifying the Aadhaar details of pilgrims, but are unable to validate the same from the UIDAI system. This gives scope for malpractice, where gullible visitors can be impersonated. The first round of discussion with the authorities is over, and we expect a breakthrough soon,” Mr. Rao said.
