Tourism Minister of Tamil Nadu R. Rajendran (second from left) Andhra Pradesh Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy (Endowments), P. Narayan (Municipal Administration) and N. Mohammad Farooq (Law and Justice) formally welcomed in Nellore. An appeal was made by the former Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) to reinstate the Shigra Darshan tickets to the arriving passengers. Buses to Tirumala. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements
Tourism Minister of Tamil Nadu R. Rajendran has appealed to the Andhra Pradesh government to restore Shigra Darshan (SED) tickets issued to passengers coming to Tirumala by buses run by its Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC).
Shri Rajendran formally called on Andhra Pradesh Endowments Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy at his residence on Tuesday (December 17, 2024). and submitted a representative in this regard.
Approach to TTD
It may be recalled that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Trust Board, in its first meeting chaired by its new chairman BR Naidu, had decided to stop issuing darshan tickets to state-run tourism corporations. The main reason cited was that Tirumala, at the same time, was not a tourist spot, while another reason for the serious decision was ‘equitable misuse’ of such tickets.
A long history
Against this backdrop, Mr. Rajendran pointed out that TTDC has been running a one-day tourism package from Chennai since 1974 through an open ticket system with 50 tickets. It was later extended to Coimbatore, Madurai, Hosur, Cuddalore and Palani districts of Tamil Nadu in 2023, after the quota of tickets was increased to 400 in a phased manner.
He pointed out that there was no scope for wrongdoing, stressing that TTDC was operating the services directly through a structured online booking system and not involving any private operators.
Shri Ramnarayan Reddy admitted the facts and assured to look into the matter.
published – December 18, 2024 at 03:46 pm IST