The TTD has ordered restoration of status for SriVani ticket holders in the darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala.
The decision comes in the wake of the episode on Vaikunta Dwadasi when a section of devotees who had purchased the ₹11,000 SriVani tickets questioned the propriety of the management in overlooking the darshan protocols meant for them.
Though it was categorically mentioned on the tickets that they will be permitted in ‘Maha laghu’ not beyond Jaya and Vijaya idols, the devotees complained that they came to know about the stipulation only after the purchase of tickets.
TTD Executive Officer K.S. Jawahar Reddy swung into damage control mode and gave directions providing them darshan from a further nearer point. The orders came into effect from Triyodasi on Sunday.
According to statistics, about 1.80 lakh devotees had the darshan of the deity on Vaikunta Ekadasi and Dwadasi during the previous festival season as against a little over 83,000 devotees this year in view of COVID-19 restrictions.
The temple hundi registered a record income of ₹7.37 crore in two days.
