The newly formed Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board, in its maiden meeting on September 5 (Tuesday), resolved to focus on the promotion of Sanatana Dharma, protection of traditions and culture.
Addressing the media, TTD Chairman B. Karunakar Reddy said that the Trust Board would promote the writing of ‘Govinda Koti’ akin to traditional ‘Rama Koti’.
The youths aged below 25 years who write Govinda Namam one crore times will be extended VIP darshan facility at the Lord Venkateswara temple, along with their family members. Those writing the namam 10 lakh and 116 times will be entitled to recommendation-free darshan.
In a bid to inculcate morality among children, one crore booklets (20 pages each) containing the essence of Srimad Bhagavad Gita will be distributed among the students of LKG to PG as ‘Pusthaka Prasadam’.
Augmenting the accommodation facilities in Tirupati, the TTD Trust Board decided to construct two pilgrim amenities complexes —Achyutham and Sripatham— after demolishing the existing second and third free choultries located behind the railway station at a cost of ₹300 crore each.
The Board will request the State government to sanction 413 posts pertaining to archakas, paricharakas, potu workers and prasadam distributors, along with 47 additional adhyapaka (teachers) posts in TTD-run Vignana Peetams in Dharmagiri, Keesaragutta, Vijayanagaram, I Bhimavaram, Kotappakonda and Valgonda in Telangana.
Infra projects approved
Decisions were taken pertaining to several infrastructure projects including converting the road from Narayanadri Centre on Renigunta Road to Tiruchanur into a four-lane one, widening the road from YSR Marg to Samavai Marg up to 40 feet at a cost of ₹9.60 crore, converting the road from RTO office to Sri Padmavati flour mill into an 80-foot road at a cost of ₹19.50 crore, laying a bypass road from Hero Honda showroom on Renigunta Road to Hotel Grand Ridge on Tiruchanur at a cost of ₹4 crore and providing interest-free funds to Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) for laying a water pipeline to increase water supply to TTD-run BIRRS, SVIMS, Ayurvedic, Padmavati Hrudayalaya and Padmavati Medical College.
The TTD also approved the tenders worth ₹2 crore for the renovation of Mulasthanam Yellamma temple in Chandragiri, ₹1.65 crore for the construction of Sri Venkateswara temple at Bandra in Mumbai and ₹5.35 crore for the construction of information centre.
The Trust Board decided to take up repair and renovation works of 1,476 quarters of TTD employees in Tirupati at a cost of ₹49.48 crore. It sanctioned ₹33 crore for laying roads and creating infrastructure at Padireddy Aranyam in Vadalamalapeta mandal where the management has provided house sites to its employees. The amount will be recovered from the employees later.
Sekhar Reddy appointed LAC president
The TTD Board decided to appoint businessman A.J. Sekhar Reddy as the president of its Chennai-based Local Advisory Committee (LAC) for a period coterminous to the tenure of the Trust Board.
Udhayanidhi’s remarks condemned
Meanwhile, the TTD Chairman condemned the remarks made by Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin about the Sanatana Dharma. “Such irresponsible statements against Sanatana Dharma will lead to unrest in the society,” said Mr. Karunakar Reddy.
