Tirupati urban police seeks Rs 30 lakh

Tirumala: Even as the most celebrated annual Brahmotsavam of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala is less than a week away, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams and the Police department are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the biggest spiritual carnival passes off smoothly without any glitch. The TTD and the Tirupati urban police wing have held several coordination meetings to see that the nine-day long festivities which draws millions of devotees from across the globe, is held with utmost pomp and gaiety without any untoward incidents.

Such being the significance of the event both in terms of high pilgrim congregation besides the spiritual significance attached, the district police wing led by Tirupati SP Gopinath Jetty have initiated elaborate measures for the nine-day festivities. According to sources, the Tirupati urban police wing which has planned to draw 3,000 plus cops from across the state for the bandobust duties during the Brahmotsavam has sought a sum of Rs 30 lakh from the TTD as TA/DA.

But owing to the decades-long tussle between the TTD vigilance wing and the Police department over supremacy, some sections in the TTD vigilance wing are strongly opposing the TTD extending TA/DA sought by the police department. A senior official of the TTD vigilance wing who did not want to be named observed that when the TTD is already ensuring the best of logistics including accommodation, food, vehicles, diesel and petrol for the vehicles for the cops who arrive at Tirumala for bandobust duties during the annual Brahmotsavam, the demand for TA/DA is not justifiable.

But on the contrary sources in the police department point out that this is not something out of the way as extending allowances to cops during the annual Brahmotsavam at Tirumala is a practice, which has been in vogue since several years. The urban police wing has sought a sum of '30 lakh towards meeting TA/DA allowances of over 3,000 plus cops who would be taking part in the Brahmotsavam security related duties.