2,000 addl rooms for pilgrims soon: TTD EO

Tirumala: To resolve the accommodation problems to pilgrims, who are coming to Tirumala, the TTD Trust Board approved to construct 2,000 rooms at Alipiri, the gateway to Tirumala in future, said TTD EO Anil Kumar Singhal. 

The monthly ‘Dial Your EO’ programme took place at Annamayya Bhavan in Tirumala on Friday. EO attended to the calls of 17 callers from different states during the programme. Answering a pilgrim caller Punyavathi from West Godavari district, who sought EO to consider one-hour grace time for the booked rooms in Tirumala if the pilgrim arrives late, to which the EO said, the entire mechanism of accommodation is computerised, and the system will automatically allot the accommodation to another pilgrim if the advanced booking pilgrim does not turn up on time. That too in Tirumala, we have insufficient accommodation. 

To overcome this problem, the board has recently approved to construct a huge amenities complex for the pilgrim in Alipiri. In the first phase, 500 rooms will be constructed, he added.  While caller Parvathi from Vijayawada brought to the notice of EO that the Srivari Sevakulu are degraded by some department staff while on service duty which is hurting the volunteers to which the EO said, the Srivari Seva volunteers are rendering huge services to pilgrims. 

Even, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu complimented the impeccable services of Srivari Sevakulu during Bhookarshana puja held at Amaravati on January 31. “So, there is no need to feel hurt just because of the different approach of a few staff. However, we instruct them to behave properly with volunteers,” he replied. 

Another caller Venkateswara Rao from Eluru informed EO that saffron (Kumkuma Puvvu) is not utilised in prasadams which used to be in olden days. The EO said, the management will not interfere in religious issues however this will be discussed with the religious staff. Caller Yatindra from Machilipatnam said that he got a Suprabhatam ticket in lucky dip but did not get any SMS or mail from TTD and he lost the ticket. EO said, if the problem is a technical issue, we will definitely rectify it. 

A caller from Rajamundry Nageswara Rao said that in SVBC Nityapujalivigo programme, the pooja to deities is being rendered by splitting every petal of the flower while renowned religious Scholar Chaganti Koteswara Rao in his discourse negates splitting of petals and offering to Lord to which the EO said, they will discuss the issue with religious scholars.