The TTD board also plans to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reduce waiting time for Sarvadarshanam from 20-30 hours to just 2-3 hours, prioritising quicker access for devotees to the Lord's darshan
Published Nov 18, 2024 | 8:15 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 18, 2024 | 8:15 PM
Tirupati Laddu. (X)
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust Board (TTD) has decided to further improve the quality of ghee used in making laddu prasadams.
The maiden meeting of the reconstituted TTD board, which took place on Monday, 18 November, decided to use ghee of highest quality.
“We will appoint an expert committee to decide the ghee that could be used in making the laddu prasadam. There will be a laboratory of very high standards to test its quality. It may cost the TTD about ₹80 lakh to ₹90 lakh,” TTD chairman BR Naidu said, briefing media persons on the decision taken at the board meeting.
The board also decided to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to facilitate dharshan of the Lord to devotees waiting for Sarvadarshanam within two to three hours.
The chairman said that reducing the time taken for the darshan of the Lord at the temple from 20 to 30 hours to two to three hours was a priority for the TTD and it has decided to use AI for the purpose. “Queueline management is a very complex problem. We are discussing with experts on using AI to solve the problem,” Naidu said.
Naidu, along with Executive Officer J Syamal Rao, said the meeting cleared another proposal to send on deputation all non-Hindu staff of the temple to other departments, either Revenue of Municipal Administration, or ask them to take voluntary retirement.
The board has also decided to not allow, under any circumstances, propagation of any other religion on Tirumala. “There is no question of allowing propagation of any religion other than Hinduism,” the chairman said.
The board took a serious view of the politicians making politically loaded comments on the Tirumala hills. “The board has imposed a ban on making such comments. If anyone indulges in this practice, we will file cases against them,” he said.
The board green-lighted the proposal to restore the name of the flyover in Tirupati to Garuda Varadhi from Srinivas Sethu. The name of Garuda Varadhi was changed under the previous YSRCP dispensation.
The board also decided to remove the name of Srivani Trust and conduct all its financial transactions from the TTD main account in the wake of doubts in its operations. The services of Srivani Trust will continue but its account would be merged with the TTD’s main account.
In Nityanna danam, the board approved the proposal to further improve the quality of the food served and add one more item for the benefit of the visiting devotees.
In a measure to benefit the residents of Tirupati the board decided to restore darshan to them on the first Tuesday in the month.
The board, by another important decision, scrapped the quota of tickets for Tourism Development Corporations of various states. “We came to know that there was a gross misuse of tickets. We do not need tourism-sponsored darshans. We are a religious institution. We are not a tourism centre. There is no need for reserving tickets for the tourism corporations,” Naidu said, adding that the decision was taken after the vigilance department had made an inquiry and found several irregularities.
In another significant decision, the board cleared a proposal to reclaim land of Visakha Sarada Peetham and take over its control after cancelling its lease. The board felt that Visakha Sarada Peetham was constructed in violation of rules. “There is 100 percent violation of rules in its construction. Entire structure would be razed and the land would be taken over,” Naidu said a committee has gone through how the construction took place and submitted a report, based on which the board has taken the decision.
The board also cleared a proposal to request the forest department to allot the 20 acre land after cancelling the lease given for the location of Mumtaz hotels on Alipiri-Zoo Park Road. The decision was taken as the proposed Mumtaz Hotel which is alongside the Tirumala hill, would hurt the sentiments of the devotees.
He said that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, when he was the chief minister in his earlier term, had allotted the land to the Tourism Department for developing the Deva Lokam Project which was scrapped under the previous government.
The board also cleared a proposal for repairs to Potu, the kitchen, where prasadam is made, in the wake of reports that it was leaking whenever there were rains, which affected making of the prasadam.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
