TTD Executive Officer Sri Anil Kumar Singhal said that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is offering equal opportunity to devotees across the country by issuing Vaikuntha Ekadasi Dwara Darshan tokens through the e-Dip system. He explained that TTD introduced this process to protect the larger interests of pilgrims and to maintain complete transparency.
During the monthly Dial Your EO programme at Annamayya Bhavan, he interacted with 23 callers from different regions. Many devotees appreciated the fairness of the e-Dip system, even though they could not secure tokens. The EO thanked them for recognising the transparency and equal access the system provides.
164 of 182 Darshan Hours Reserved for Common Devotees
Explaining this year’s arrangements, the EO said TTD aims to provide darshan to 7.7 lakh devotees during the ten-day Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan period. He also noted that TTD allotted 164 out of 182 darshan hours to common devotees, ensuring wider access for the general public.
He added that TTD issued tokens for Vaikuntha Ekadasi, Dwadasi and January 1 through the e-Dip system to avoid inconvenience and to keep the entire process transparent.
TTD Cannot Increase Special Quotas
Callers Sri Durga Prasad (Bhimavaram), Sri Srinivas (Chennai), Smt Rajalakshmi (Hyderabad) and Sri Maheswaraiah (Venkatagiri) requested the EO to increase the quota for the elderly and physically challenged. The EO replied that TTD must balance the needs of every category of devotee and therefore cannot expand the quota for a single group.
Special Allocation for Local Devotees
Responding to Sri Chandrasekhar Reddy from Tirupati, the EO clarified that all ten days of Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam are equally auspicious. Since most devotees prefer darshan on the first two days, TTD implemented the e-Dip system to give everyone equal chances. He further said that January 6, 7 and 8 have been reserved for 15,000 local devotees from Tirupati and Tirumala.
Devotee Suggestions and EO’s Decisions
Callers also shared several suggestions about temple services and devotional practices:
- On resuming Parayanam at Nada Neerajanam, the EO said officials would examine available slots.
- A caller from Vizag asked staff and Sevaks to greet devotees with “Govinda”, and the EO agreed to ensure the practice.
- Ms Preeti from Chennai suggested serving millet-based Annaprasadam on Vaikuntha Ekadasi for fasting devotees. The EO said TTD will study its feasibility.
Other Important Suggestions
Devotees urged TTD to:
- Stop private vehicles on Ghat Road from playing film songs
- Serve Annaprasadam earlier to avoid food waste
- Strengthen queue-line and solid-waste management
- Improve the behaviour of Sevaks
- Revive TTD Kalyana Mandapams
The EO said TTD regularly reviews such feedback and implements feasible measures to improve the experience of pilgrims.
Officials Present
Additional EO Sri Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary, CE Sri Satyanarayana, SVBC CEO Sri Phanikumar Naidu and other officials attended the programme.