Speed up construction of children's hospital, CS tells TTD officials

Tirumala/Tirupati: Chief Secretary Dr KS Jawahar Reddy on Sunday reviewed the TTD projects including hospitals, construction of Hanuman temple and employees issues.

The Chief Secretary after darshan of Lord Venkateswara during Suprabatha Seva in the early morning, returned to Tirupati, down the hills to make an extensive inspection of various TTD institutions including hospitals, SV Gosamrakshana Sala and held a meeting with the TTD officials on the progress of various projects most of which were commissioned when he was the executive officer of TTD.

He also inspected Dakkili mandal near Venkatagiri where he inspected the natural farming being implemented by a farmer Murali Krishna in an extent of 300 acres taking up various crops for providing food grains to TTD which started using only organic food products for its Anna Prasadam and also for Naivedyam at Tirumala temple. In Tirupati down the hills, the Chief Secretary first inspected Sri Padmavathi paediatric superspecialty hospital followed by SV Gosala where he visited the feed mixing plant and also the Agarbatti manufacturing unit.

After the inspection, Jawahar Reddy held a meeting here in which he urged the TTD officials to expedite the construction of the children's hospital so as to make it ready for inauguration in December this year to function full-fledged in the new building to provide treatment to more children suffering with various heart ailments free of cost.

The feed mixing plant at SV Gosala will help the TTD to provide quality feed to its milch animals for increasing milk production to meet the TTD requirements and also enhance protein content in the milk, the CS said and lauded TTD officials for commissioning Agarbatti manufacturing second unit to increase incense sticks made up of used flowers from TTD local temples to meet the growing demand from the devotees of the TTD agarbattis.

Jawahar Reddy appreciated the team of doctors headed by Dr Srinath of the TTD children hospital which conducted more than 1,300 surgeries so far providing a new lease of life to children and also two heart replacements. He also reviewed the works of the SVIMS cancer hospital, Hanuman temple coming up in Anjanadri hill in Tirumala, Matrusri Tarigonda Vengamamba Brindavanam also in Tirumala, Cochlear implant and cleft surgeries in BIRRD hospital and also employees' issues including health scheme and house sites.

In this connection, CS wanted the Tata Cancer hospital and TTD SVIMS cancer hospital to work jointly for conducting cancer tests for early detection for treatment to save people from falling victim to the disease.

In this connection, District Collector V Venkatramana Reddy said the district administration would take up cancer screening from the 15th of this month utilising two pink buses (mobile cancer units) based in Tirupati and two more would be requisitioned for speeding up the tests for cancer. As many as 1,392 cancer cases were registered in the district, he informed.

TTD officials including EO AV Dharma Reddy, joint executive officers Sada Bhargavi, Veerabrahmam, joint collector DK Balaji, SVIMS Director B Vengamamba and others were present.

Returns to Amaravati by Vande Bharat train: The Chief Secretary after completing his two-day visit to Tirumala, Tirupati, Tiruchanur returned to Amaravati by Vande Bharat train which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

According to official sources, the chief secretary who was scheduled to return by air, cancelled the flight ticket and preferred to go by the train up to Guntur and from there by road to Amaravati (Vijayawada).

He was seen off at the railway station by District Collector Venkatamana Reddy, EO Dharma Reddy and Municipal Corporation Commissioner Haritha, Tirupati railway station director Satyanarayana and others.