TIRUMALA : Pilgrims with VIP recommendation letters seeking cellar entry tickets on Friday staged a protest at `vaikuntham' queue complex and raised slogans against the TTD for denying them darshan. The TTD management cancelled the issue of cellar tickets following increase in the number of pilgrims.

Even as the TTD stopped issuing permission for the cellar entry tickets, the situation got aggravated with the arrival of pilgrims who booked their darshan tickets under the package tours being organised by the AP Tourism Development Corporation and the TN Tourism Development Corporation. The pilgrims asked the corporation personnel to return the amount. With an intention to promote both the corporations, the TTD resolved to provide darshan to a certain number of pilgrims everyday and even issued required proceedings in this regard.

Official intervenes

TTD special officer A.V. Dharma Reddy, who reached the spot, explained the reasons behind the cancellation and appealed to pilgrims not to cause inconvenience to ordinary pilgrims who have been spending several hours in the darshan queue.

Senior officials of the TTD openly expressed their dissatisfaction over granting special permission to the corporations.

With a noble intention to provide more darshan time to ordinary pilgrims, the TTD cancelled the VIP break facilities during weekends (from Friday to Monday) and also cancelled the much-sought-after predawn ritual tickets like Thomala and Archana, they contended.

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