TTD to destroy our culture and swindle money (100 crores more)

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Ropeway to Lord's abode soon G V R SUBBA RAO

 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SUNDAY, MAY 02, 2004 03:03:00 AM ]

 

HYDERABAD : The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is all

set to go ahead with the controversial aerial ropeway project at Tirumala

against the opposition of agama pandits (liturgical experts). "All legal tangles

have been sorted out. Now we will go ahead with the project," sources in the

corporation said.

 

 

Pandits consulted by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and pontiffs such

as Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeeyar have strongly opposed the

proposal, arguing that making Tirumala a tourist spot would affect the religious

sanctity of the temple.

 

 

The TTD trust board,which was to discuss the issue at its meeting at Tirumala on

Wednesday, chose not to take it up. Some board members too are strongly opposed

to the ropeway.

 

 

 

The Rs 91-crore project would connect Tirumala and Tirupati with a 6.1 km

detachable gondolatype ropeway that can carry up to 2,000 pilgrims per hour in

20-minute trips.

 

 

 

A consortium led by Balaji Tourism in which Austrian company Dopple Mayr has 26

per cent equity is to execute the project on a build, operate and transfer basis

(BOT).

 

 

 

APTDC and Balaji Tourism have formally signed an agreement to execute the

project. When completed, it would be the longest passenger ropeway in Asia and

perhaps the entire world, the sources said.