RailEnquiry

The A.P. Legislative Committee on Petitions led by Deputy Speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka wrapped up its three-day official visit to Tirumala and Tirupati with a final review meeting, attended among others by the TTD top brass and the Chittoor district Collector and heads of all other concerned departments.

The panel, which extensively inspected the working of various pilgrim-centric facilities and interacted closely with pilgrims, had certain broad suggestions to make to the TTD to further improve the amenities.

Some of the important suggestions made are: reducing the waiting time at ‘Kalyana Katta’—tonsuring centre where pilgrims offer their hair to the Lord, regulation of traffic in the core area at Tirumala, providing separate queue lines for women pilgrims at Central Reception Office etc, erection of display boards wherever necessary for dissemination of information on the status of availability of seva tickets, accommodation etc, setting up information centres at railway and bus stations.

TTD Executive Officer L.V. Subramanyam, who led the TTD team at the review meeting, informed that the TTD has already taken up laying Outer Ring Road at Tirumala to ease traffic congestion inside the core area and also promised to implement all the suggestions made by the panel.

District Collector Soloman Arokiyaraj told the panel that the government has handed over to the TTD the 4.38 acre site where the ancient temple of ‘Vakulamatha temple’—said to be the foster mother of Lord Venkateswara exists. The TTD which has already put up fencing around the site is expected to take up renovation of the shrine to develop it into another tourist destination at Tirupati.

Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka has complimented the TTD’s Health Department for bagging the ‘Award of Excellence in Solid Waste Management’ at an international meet held recently at Mysore.