Tirumala locals launch hunger strike

Tirupati: Intensifying their stir, the locals of Tirumala, the famed hill top temple town began relay hunger strike here on Wednesday, to press the TTD management to resolve their 19 demands pending for long.

The locals, who have been fighting under the banner of Tirumala Sthanikula Samkshema Sangham (TSSS), an association formed by the locals for their welfare, resorted to the relay hunger strike after their repeated representations to TTD management and officials failed to solve the pending demands.

As part of master plan implementation for development of Tirumala, the four Mada streets encircling the famed shrine of Lord Venkateswara and also many other places were widened to cope with the manifold increase in the pilgrim rush resulting in the large number of displacements of houses and shops, since the year 2000. But the rehabilitation including providing shops for livelihood is still not given to 125 locals while the locals, who are accommodated in Balaji Nagar built by TTD are also facing problems.