The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Estimates Committee reviews TTD works

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Thursday, Sep 09, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Estimates Committee reviews TTD works

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI. Sept. 8. After a reported gap of about two decades, the TTD works on Wednesday came in for a review by the A.P. Government's Estimates Committee. According to B. Vedavyas, Chairperson of the 15-member A.P. Legislative Committee on Estimates, for some reason or other successive Estimates Committees during the last 20 years had reviewed neither the estimates relating to various works taken up by the TTD nor its annual budgets. He however declined to hazard a guess as to the possible reason for such a lapse. It was not for us to go into the reasons but we found that there were no records to suggest that the estimates committees had reviewed the TTD works and budgets during the last two decades, Mr. Vedavyas said.

Critical review

He said the panel during its sitting today could cover only the peripheral aspects of the TTD that came under their purview and said that given the size of the organisation and its enormous budget, the range of activities that it took up, it needed a critical review. "We have decided to come back again after a month for a more detailed review," he said.

The panel chief said that when one of its members, Sasidhar Reddy had last night gone in cognito to a TTD canteen in Tirumala and had his dinner, the quality of the food served there left much to be desired. He said the members also received complaints about the poor quality of the Tirumala laddus and said that the committee during its next visit would lay focus on this and other related aspects. There were certainly some aspects in the TTD which needed to be improved in the larger interest of the visiting pilgrims, he said. He was however appreciative of the working of the TTD's Veda Pathasala and the BIRRD hospital set up for the welfare of the physically challenged. TTD officials were led by its Executive Officer, Ajeya Kallam, who explained the working of the organisation and answered queries from members.

Report

Mr. Vedavyas said the committee had completed its three-day sitting in Chittoor district and would submit its report to the Government within a year.

Among the legislator-members who participated in the meeting were Srinivasa Rao, Devineni Rajasekhar, Sasidhar Reddy, Chandrasekhar, C. Prabhakar Reddy and Amarnadha Reddy.

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