Tirumala turns choc a block with teeming devotees
TIRUMALA: The Tirumala Hills, which used to reverberate with Govinda Namam, echoed with slogans against the TTD. As pilgrims reached the hill shrine in huge numbers and frantically vied for a darshan token of the Lord Venkateswara on the most auspicious day of Vaikunta Ekadasi, the TTD officials found themselves in a tight spot as the devotees staged protests and on the other hand, the TTD trust board members too caused further embarrassment by demanding VIP passes more than they were allotted.
Devotees staged protests near the JEO's office and also at the entrance of the footpath and other places and police have to be called in to bring the situation under control. Devotees did not spare ministers too who came to the TTD office for VIP passes. They blocked the convoy of minister K Pardhasaradhi and raised slogans against the TTD.
The TTD issued 26,000 divya darshan tokens to the trekkers from both sides - Sri Vari Mettu and Alipiri -- but did not provide any relief as huge number of pilgrims thronged the hill shrine right from the early hours. Though the TTD announced that the tokens would be issued to trekkers from 2 p.m. the same were issued from the morning itself.
Once the quota was completed, officials asked the pilgrims to return as they would not get a chance to have darshan. At Sri Vari Mettu, the officials reportedly did not allow buses to ply from Srinivasa Mangapuram to Sri Vari Mettu pathway to stop pilgrims reaching there.
But by then, thousands of devotees reached there and were told that they cannot get tokens. The TTD also stopped allotting rooms to the general public and had reserved all the available rooms to VIPs. Only a few hundred, which were vacated by pilgrims, were allotted leaving the pilgrims distressed.
It is learnt that the TTD Trust members too picked up an argument with the TTD chairman for not giving them additional VIP passes. The TTD officials maintained that if more VIP tickets are issued, the general public cannot have darshan.
It is learnt that more than 10,000 VVIP passes were issued. The TTD had also been informed about the arrival of nearly 20 ministers and 60 MLAs for darshan on Saturday.
News Posted: 11 January, 2014
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