Is this really needed and justified? 100s of crores being spent

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New facilities to come up at Tirupathi

T MURUGANANDHAMTirumala, May 20:

 

The Venkatachalapathy temple, India's most popular place of worship, is set for

a make-over. According to Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams, Chairman T Subbarami

Reddy 'within a year's time the total atmosphere of Tirumala will be changed

with implementation of new projects'.

 

Talking to media persons at Tirumala, Reddy, who inaugurated new facilities for

the devotees at Devasthanam, said around 25,000 devotees were visiting the

temple town per day, and on important occasions the number touches around one

lakh. He said the TTD wanted to see every devotee got darshan of Lord

Venkateswara in a comfortable manner and the accommodation provided without any

hardship.

 

'At present there are 23 compartments in the Vaikundam Queue complex and only

two were air-conditioned. 'TTD would provide AC facilities in all of the

complexes so that the devotees waiting for long hours did not get exhausted'.

 

Leading industrialist Dr MAM Ramaswamy and a few others have donated Plasma TVs

to be placed in all the 23 compartments. TV episodes of Mahabharatam, Ramayanam

and mythological stories would be telecast during waiting hours. Subbarami

Reddy has donated 368 ceiling fans to be fitted in the 23 compartments along

with 23 water coolers with a capacity of 150 litres each. The TTD Chairman also

inaugurated a complaint cell for the first time in Tirumala. He said devotees

who face any problem in getting accommodation or darshan can register their

complaints in the cell.

 

A Rs 63 crore spiritual park project is to come up at Allipiri at the foothills

of the Tirumal Hill where Dasavathara and Vishnupurana and other stories will be

shown with the help of advanced animation technology.

 

Choultry for devotees have been renovated at a cost of around Rs 8 crore of

which three complexes rooms were available free of cost. And the rest of rooms

were available at a nominal rent of Rs 150 and Rs 100.

 

In Chennai and Bangalore, Divyak Shetra project will be implemented which will

comprise marriage halls and other facilities for the devotees.