Tirupati Temple to ‘surrender’ non-Hindu staff to government, proposes VRS

Tirupati laddu controversy: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) held a meeting on November 18 and in a media address announced key decisions reached, according to a PTI report.

Key among these was the fate on the temple board's non-Hindu staff. Speaking to ANI on November 19, TTD chairman BR Naidu said that he moved the resolution in the Board yesterday, which was “unanimously accepted”. 

“We have identified some people (staff at TTD), non-Hindus...I wanted to meet those people personally and I would request them to take VRS. If they are not interested, we will transfer or maybe grant deputation to other government departments, like Revenue or Municipality or any Corporation. So, that is our intention,” he added.

Non-Hindu Employees, Political Statements

Among the other decisions, as per an official release of the board, it has resolved to write a letter to the state government for taking an appropriate decision on its non-Hindu employees, as per the report.

According to a Hindustan Times report, Naidu said the board will assess how many non-Hindus are part of the temple administration and "surrender them" to the government. As per a 2018 report, there are 44 employees of other faiths working in the TTD.

“We shall write to the state government to take an appropriate decision about the non-Hindus working in Tirumala. The TTD is a Hindu religious institution, and the board felt that it should not employ non-Hindus to work in the temple,” Naidu said, according to the HT report.

Another key decision taken is to prohibit those associated with the temple from making political statements in Tirumala and to take action against those who violate this, it added.

It also resolved to not to allow “political statements in Tirumala” and to “take legal action if needed” against those who make such statements and who propagate them, the release added.

On Darshan Time

Speaking to the media, Naidu shared that the board has also decided to use artificial intelligence (AI) to shorten the darshan times at the famous Lord Venkateswara shrine. Discussions were around cutting waiting time for darshan, from around 30 hours to 2-3 hours, using AI and other advanced technologies, as per PTI.

Further, for the local people in Tirupati, the board has decided to offer them darshan on the first Tuesday of every month, it added.

Laddu Quality, Administrative Tasks

After a much publicised controversy regarding the temple's laddus, the board has decided to ensure the use of “enhanced quality” ghee for the product.

Further, the board has decided to merge Sri Venkateswara Aalayala Nirmanam Trust (SRIVANI) with TTD's account and discontinue the darshan quota given to tourism corporations of different states as complaints of irregularities abound over this quota. The board has also decided to clear the debris that piled up in the dumping yard of Tirumala, within four months.

Following an expert committee meeting, the board has also decided to cancel the lease of Visakha Sarada Peetham mutt as it allegedly violated TTD rules.

During the next meeting, a decision will be taken on moving TTD's deposits from private banks to nationalised banks due to safety concerns, the statement added.

(With inputs from PTI)