Politicos flay TTD officials for ignoring local people

Tirupati: Leaders of various political parties came down heavily on TTD officials for ignoring locals. At a roundtable conference held here on Sunday, the leaders criticised the TTD officials for not entertaining the recommendation letters from local leaders for darshan at Tirumala temple and also suspending the privilege darshan for locals which was provided every first Tuesday.

Senior BJP leader K Santha Reddy lamented that being a national leader of the party, many BJP activists and leaders from various States like even Arunachal Pradesh approach her for darshan at Tirumala temple but recently the authorities stopped entertaining her letters.

She said that it was the local leaders who are responsible for development of Tirupati and Tirumala as sizable number of locals gave away their houses and lands for TTD to take up development initiatives for providing more facilities to the pilgrims in tune with their increasing number but the TTD officials ignored their contribution, she added.

The BJP leader said that she sought appointment of the TTD Executive Officer two months back to discuss various local issues but still she has not got the appointment revealing the TTD officials slighting leaders in the city.

Jana Sena party state general secretary and former TTD trust board member Dr Pasupuleti Siva Prasad alleged that though there were clear government guidelines for giving priority to former trust board members, the TTD officials were rejecting his letters recommending for priority darshan i.e. VIP break. "The authorities completely stopped entertaining the letters from the leaders of Jana Sena Party after the change of guard in the State,'' he alleged.

CPM City secretary T Subramanayam demanded that the TTD set up local advisory body to sort out their problems including darshan. He wondered why the TTD was hesitating to set up local advisory committee for Tirupati-Tirumala when such committees were formed in cities like Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai etc.

He criticised the TTD move to evict the locals who have their residences on Tallapaka tank lands based on the recent verdict of Inam Tashildar declaring that these lands belong to the TTD.

The CPM leader alleged that the TTD is conspiring to displace large number of locals in the pilgrim city of Tirupati.The meet resolved to take a joint struggle on the locals issues to press the TTD to solve them including giving priority to local leaders recommendation letters for darshan, as was followed till now and also resume the darshan facility on first Tuesday of every month.. CPI city secretary Viswanatham, TDP leader Sapathagiri Prasad and others also spoke.