Corruption in Ticket Sales: TTD Board Halts Tourism Allocations

Tirupati: In a move to curb corruption, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has announced the suspension of Special Entry Darshan (SED) ticket allocations to various state tourism corporations.

While the decision aimed to eliminate misuse, it has left thousands of pilgrims frustrated. They will now have to navigate through the darshan process on their own.

The decision came at the first meeting of the TTD trust board, chaired by Bollineni Rajagopala Naidu. Allegations of irregularities and profiteering in the distribution of SED tickets were discussed at the meeting.

Daily quotas of 4,000 tickets, which were previously allocated to entities like the APTDC, Tamil Nadu’s TTDC, Karnataka’s KSTDC, and Telangana’s TSTDC, were part of the all-inclusive packages covering travel, accommodation, meals and darshan. These were grossly misused.

TTD noticed malpractices like diversion of tickets to private agencies by some tourism officials and middlemen for monetary gain.

“This decision ensures darshan facilities are reserved for genuine devotees and are not exploited for commercial gains,” Naidu said, adding, “We are committed to making darshan more transparent and accessible to pilgrims.”

The decision has drawn mixed reactions from the devotees, especially those who relied on tourism corporations to navigate the complexities of securing darshan tickets. Many described the online booking process through TTD’s portal as daunting due to limited availability.

Devotees arriving without pre-arranged tickets have to endure long queues and uncertainty.

“Booking tickets directly through TTD is next to impossible for ordinary devotees,” said M Uma Priya from Chennai.

She added, “The slots get filled within minutes. Not everyone has the time or skill to keep trying online. Tourism corporation packages used to take away all this stress, offering a one-stop solution for travel, food and darshan. Now, managing everything by ourselves will be a nightmare.”

Elderly devotees are particularly strained. “At my age, standing in queues or handling online bookings is a struggle,” said A Sridhara, a 70-year-old from Bengaluru. The Karnataka tourism packages were a lifeline. This decision came as a setback to senior citizens.”

Investigations showed some APTDC officials diverting tickets to private agencies and selling these at inflated prices. Reports said only 300 of APTDC’s allotted 1,000 tickets were used legitimately, while the rest were sold in black market.

An official source said fake records were created to misappropriate funds. “Tickets for cancelled bus routes were sold at Rs 1,200 each, and fictitious accommodation and meal expenses were claimed.”

Despite vigilance reports, action was delayed due to political interference. While some of the errant officials have retired or were transferred, the authorities are planning steps for financial recovery from them and penalties.