The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’s (TTD) Kalyanakatta, where around 20,000 pilgrims get their heads tonsured daily in fulfilment of their prayers, has turned into a corridor of corruption of late, going by the barrage of complaints being received from the devotees.
Even though corruption is not new at Kalyanakatta, the official ineptitude and avidness of the staff to spin fast bucks has added a new dimension to the menace. Though the management has initiated a slew of measures to tackle the issue, the staff always have some explanations ready in their support, whenever some regulations are imposed to curb any alleged irregularities.
In the past one week, many devotees allege that they were being subjected to arduous wait to get their heads tonsured. Even though staff shortage and surge of devotees during weekends are cited as the primary reasons for this, pilgrims accuse the hair dressers of deliberately consuming more time in clearing the crowd.
Some feel that it is another deceptive tactic of the Kalyanakatta staff which is adopted to showcase their naivety over the issue. The monthly ‘Dial TTD EO’ programme held last week was flooded with complaints of forcibly extortions and the instances wherein devotees were left to bleed (with cuts on their heads), if they failed to ‘comply’ to the expectations of hair dressers.
Probe ordered
The management ordered a high-level enquiry into the complaints, including the alleged pay-offs to the officials. An Assistant Vigilance and Security Officer (AVSO) working at the centre was also transferred. In response to the allegations, Kalyanakatta Deputy Executive Officer Krishna Reddy says: “I don’t know exactly the reason behind a sudden focus on Kalyanakatta. The town has seen huge crowds during Brahmotsavams, Vaikunta Ekadasi and other festive days in the past six months, but never did the waiting time stretch so anomalously. We can deftly manage the crowds with all wherewithals at our disposal.” As many as 600 hair dressers work round-the-clock at the complex in four shifts, of whom 300 are on regular pay rolls and the rest work on piece-rate system.
Meanwhile, disinclination of Kalyanakatta sevakulu (volunteers) to work at the centre is also seen as another influencing factor in the episode.
