TTD trust board to consider hike in darshan quota

TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board chairman YV Subba Reddy said on Friday that the board of trustees will consider providing Srivari darshan to more devotees by way of enhancing the daily quotas of darshan tickets, but in strict adherence to Covid19 guidelines.

The Covid’s second wave forced the trust board to cancel its meetings in March, April and May. This time, the trust board is set to pass some important resolutions on Saturday at Annamaiah Bhavan in Tirumala.

The chairman told the media that the board of trustees will consider extending the Garuda Varadhi flyover — an elevated express highway corridor coming up in the temple city — up to the Alipiri check point to solve the traffic problems in Tirupati.

“We have received many representations on the need for extending the Garuda Varadhi flyover. The TTD will examine the cost factor at the board meeting on Saturday,” he said.

The TTD could not implement the board decision to revive Kalyanamastu, the free mass wedding programme for poor families that had been launched earlier by former chief minister the late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.

It could also not build 500 Sri Venkateshwara temples in SC/ ST/ BC and fishermen colonies as part of the Hindu Dharma Pracharam due to the Covid pandemic. Both programmes will be revived and implemented once the Covid scene turns normal, he said.