Tamil Nadu seeks restoration of Tirumala Darshan tickets to its tourism passengers
The Hindu
Tamil Nadu Minister appeals to Andhra Pradesh for restoration of Sheegra Darshan tickets at Tirumala, addressing misuse concerns.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Tourism R. Rajendran has appealed to the Andhra Pradesh Government for restoration of Sheegra Darshan (SED) tickets issued to the passengers arriving at Tirumala by the buses run by its Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC).
Mr. Rajendran formally met Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy at his residence in Nellore on Tuesday (December 17, 2024), in the presence of Ministers P. Narayana (Municipal Administration) and N. Md. Farook (Law and Justice), and submitted a representation to this effect.
It may be recalled that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board, at its maiden meeting chaired by its new Chairman B.R. Naidu, had decided to stop issuing Darshan tickets to state-run tourism corporations. The main reason cited was that Tirumala, per se, was not a tourist place, while the other reason attributed for the serious decision was the ‘rampant misuse’ of such tickets.
In this backdrop, Mr. Rajendran pointed out that the TTDC had been running the one-day tourism package from Chennai since 1974 through open ticket system, with 50 tickets. It was later extended in 2023 to Coimbatore, Madurai, Hosur, Cuddalore and Palani districts of Tamil Nadu, after the quota of tickets was increased in a phased manner to 400.
He insisted that the TTDC was directly operating the services through a structured online booking system and not involving any private operators, hinting that there was no scope for malpractice.
Mr. Ramanarayana Reddy acknowledged the facts and assured to look into the matter.
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