Even as a clear picture is yet to emerge over the lifting of the lockdown imposed to check the spread of coronavirus, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is understood to have started formulating strategy for reopening the hill shrine of Lord Vnkateswara for darshan on a ‘trial and error’ basis.
Though the third phase of the lockdown is due to expire May 17, it is still uncertain whether or not the Central government would allow the opening of places of worship.
Letter to Chief Secy.
However, sources say that the TTD has also sent a letter to Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, seeking permission for organising a trial run of its plans of allowing darshan only after the lockdown is lifted.
According to sources, speculations are rife that the trust board is toying with the idea of allowing only the residents of Tirumala and Tirupati to have darshan, apart from the TTD employees as the latter do not need accommodation.
COVID-19 protocols
“Time slot tokens may be issued and only a few hundred devotees may be allowed to have darshan on an hourly basis with strict compliance with the COVID-19 protocols such as wearing masks, maintaining social distance among others. Sanitisers will also be made available at the entry and other vital points,” say sources.
After experimenting with the system for a week or two, the TTD is planning to take a call on extending the permission for darshan to the people hailing from other parts of Chittoor district and the State.
Then it will be extended to the devotees from other States after the curbs on the inter-State travels are relaxed. The sources say that all these plans will be executed in a phased manner, with adherence to the directives of the State and Central governments on COVID-19.
High-level meeting
A final call on the modalities will be taken only after a high-level meeting with TTD Additional EO (Tirumala) A.V. Dharma Reddy, they say, adding that the TTD has no plans to allow more than a thousand devotees an hour for darshan until the threat of the pandemic subsides.
