Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to launch app for devotees

Hyderabad: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Tuesday informed the Hyderabad High Court that it had decided to launch an app to receive complaints from devotees visiting Tirumala. The TTD told a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice G. Shyam Prasad that it had entrusted the job to Tata Consultancy Services.

TTD counsel Sivaraju Srinivas told the court that the app would facilitate devotees to track the action being taken to resolve their grievances. Devotees could use the app to lodge complaints against hoteliers and stall owners for selling food items at rates higher than those displayed on the boards. Mr Srinivas said the TTD had also provided a toll free number and a WhatsApp number for devotees to lodge complaints regarding the problems they face and on the rates of food items.

The bench was dealing with a PIL by the Parihaara Sewa Samiti against the TTD for not taking action against hoteliers for selling food and beverages on exorbitant prices. Mr Chandra Mouli, counsel for the petitioner, said that despite the TTD’s claim, stall owners were still selling food items at higher rates and submitted receipts to the judges.

Justice Ranganathan and Justice Prasad told Mr Mouli to send the receipts to the TTD officials through WhatsApp and lodge a complaint through the toll-free number. The bench said, “Let us wait and see what action the authorities will take in this episode.” Senior counsel C. Nageswara Rao, appearing for certain hoteliers and stall owners, urged the court to withdraw their petitions and permit them to file fresh petitions as the licence period of most of the stall owners and hoteliers had expired. While directing the TTD to file an affidavit explaining the steps being taken to resolve the grievances of the devotees, the bench adjourned the case to December 5.