Arrangements for the ground-breaking launch of ‘time slot’ for the pilgrims opting for dharma darshan at the temple of Lord Venkateswara here are nearing completion.
The innovative system will not only spare pilgrims of gruelling waiting hours in queue lines but also enable them have a comfortable darshan of the presiding deity at the time of their choice.
The system will be enforced for six days in a week from Monday to Saturday. Devotees can choose the time of their choice in the 24-hour schedule in a day and collect tokens at the 117 counters built newly at all the vantage points on the hill shrine.
About 300 TTD employees and 80 supervising officers have been specially deputed for the purpose in addition to 80 employees from the Trilok agencies and 50 from the Bank of Baroda who will render round-the-clock services at all the counters in three shifts.
At present the staff members are undergoing a ‘training on hands’ programme at the TTD’s SVETA buildings at Tirupati.
For more transparency in the issuance of tokens, the TTD is also setting up display screens at every counter. Mirror monitors are also being set up inside the counters to prevent the staff from resorting to any kind of malpractices.
Trial basis
Talking to media after inspecting various counters on Friday, TTD JEO K.S. Srinivasa Raju said it was mandatory for pilgrims to produce their Aadhaar cards while collecting the darshan tokens. Those who did not wish to produce their cards for various reasons could have darshan in the regular sarva darshanam queue lines from the second Vaikuntam queue complex.
For now, the system is being introduced on a trial basis. The management is determined to introduce it on a full-fledged basis from February or March after assessing the feedback received from devotees as well as all those involved in its implementation. Likewise, the management is also toying with the option of extending the facility at Tirupati subject to the positive outcomes.
