TTD Approves Wage Hike for 9,000 Employees, Sanctions New Project Works
Tirupati: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board, which met on Monday, approved a significant wage increase for around 9,000 of its employees.
Addressing the media after the meeting held at Annamaiah Bhavan in Tirumala, TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and executive officer A.V. Dharma Reddy said the wage hike will benefit employees as also contract and outsourcing staff across all categories.
“The aim is to enhance the livelihood of the workers and recognise their contributions to TTD's operations,” Karunakar Reddy said. “The TTD-run Lakshmi Srinivasa manpower corporation employees working in TTD’s forest department will be transferred back to their parent societies and they would get a raise in wages as also bus passes,” he said.
On a request from the Mayurapathi Bhadrakali Amman Temple Trust, the TTD will help erect a Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Puttalam, Sri Lanka and organise the Srivari Kalyanam ceremony.
With a view to enhancing the spiritual facilities for devotees, the trust board decided to hold 'Nitya Sankeerthanarchana' rituals at the 7th mile on the Alipiri route and at the proposed Annamayya Kalamandir in Tallapaka.
The board decided to organise an annual 'Tirupati Birthday Festival' on February 24 every year in Tirupati. It would include this day in the official TTD calendar.
As suggested by the Tirumala Pedda Jeeyar Swamy and temple Archakas, the board decided to do repairs and gold plating of the doors of Jaya-Vijaya, the dwarapalakas of the Srivari temple, at an estimated cost of Rs 1.69 crore.
The board approved a payment of Rs 8.16 crore to TUDA towards layout and development charges for TTD staff houses in Padiredu Aranyam, Vadamalapet. It also sanctioned Rs 3.89 crore for installing modern lighting in the Tiruchanoor Padmavati Ammavari temple.
Other key approvals include a payment of Rs 4.12 crore for a permanent Yagashala by Srivani Trust in Tirumala, creation of 15 additional supervisor posts in the Srivari Potu, modernisation of two blocks of the Sapthagiri Guest House at a cost of Rs 3.19 crore, replacement of 682 motor pump sets across Tirumala with a fund of Rs 3.15 crore and beautification of the Thataiahagunta Gangamma temple at an expense of Rs 50 lakh.
Among the new projects that got the boar’d nod is a sports complex in Tirupati costing Rs 7.51 crore, printing of 98 lakh copies of the Bhagavad Gita in five languages with a fund of Rs 3.72 crore and expansion of the employees' canteen and kitchen in Tirumala for Rs 8.15 crore.
The board also extended the tenure of the Asthana Siddhanti Tangirala Venkatakrishna Purna Prasad by another three years and the facility management services contract for TTD guest houses and accommodation complexes for three more years.