TTD Surveillance on Brokers Involved in Darshan Tickets and Accommodation in Tirumala
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has intensified its surveillance on brokers who sell darshan tickets and accommodation rooms at high prices to devotees coming from India and abroad for Lord Venkateswara’s darshan. With the new coalition government in the state, focus has been directed towards cleansing the Tirumala administration, taking strict action against those charging exorbitant prices for tickets and rooms. This includes cases involving even members of the legislative council (MLCs).
TTD vigilance and the police department have jointly targeted brokers stationed in Tirumala. Surveillance has been tightened around the CRO office, JEO office, MBC-34, and the Vaikuntam Queue Complex-1 and 2 to apprehend suspects. They are questioning these brokers to identify the main organizers behind these scams and are filing cases against them.
Recent Incidents:
Since Ram Kumar assumed responsibility as VGO of the Tirumala vigilance wing, 18 cases have been registered against brokers and other fraudsters. Actions have been taken on around 64 petitions.
Recently, Tirumala One Town Police filed cases against a broker and a YSRCP MLC and her PA for selling VIP Break Darshan tickets for up to Rs. 65,000.
Another broker, Padmanabhan, who obtained a recommendation letter from the Puducherry Chief Minister’s Office, was caught by TTD vigilance while selling tickets at inflated prices and handed over to the police.
Additionally, an online fraudster was arrested for deceiving devotees seeking lockers in Tirupati guesthouses like Vishnu Nivasam and Srinivasa Nivasam.
Aadhaar Identification for TTD Darshan and Accommodation
To identify devotees who frequently avail darshan tickets and rooms at Tirumala, the TTD is set to launch Aadhaar seeding soon, for which it has already obtained permissions from UIDAI. Once the state government issues a notification, TTD authorities will initiate full-scale efforts to detect brokers using Aadhaar data. Currently, devotees without darshan tickets receive two laddus based on Aadhaar verification, which are provided only after advanced scanners verify the details. The technology used is also capable of identifying masked Aadhaar data.
According to TTD, devotees arriving at Tirumala on Monday evening without tokens were able to complete darshan within around six hours. For those with the Rs. 300 special entry darshan tickets, the waiting time was approximately three hours. On Sunday, around 69,333 devotees had darshan, with the temple receiving Rs. 3.53 crore in Hundi donations.
Kanipakam Head Priest Suspended
P. Guruprasad, EO of the Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple in Kanipakam, announced the suspension of Chief Priest N. Somasekhar Gurukul on Monday. The suspension was based on allegations that Gurukul had submitted false documents when initially joining as a priest and subsequently received promotions without valid credentials. Following a complaint, the Endowments Commissioner conducted an inquiry, uncovering multiple violations, leading to his suspension.
Interim Appointment
EO Guruprasad has appointed SS Ganesh Gurukul, the current Deputy Head Priest, as the Acting Head Priest of the temple.
