Telangana sends SOS to Andhra CM Chandrababu after TTD `disregards' darshan recommendation letters

Hyderabad: Endowments, Environmental, and Forests Minister Konda Surekha has sent an SOS to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu after TTD officials allegedly disregarded the policy approved by the state government for smooth darshan of devotees from Telangana.

This follows several complaints from the devotees about TTD’s disregard for the recommendation letters issued by Telangana lawmakers.

According to the policy, Telangana MLAs, MLCs, and MPs are allowed to issue the following:

Two recommendation letters per week for VIP Break Darshan (₹500 ticket)

Two recommendation letters per week for Special Entry Darshan (₹300 ticket)

These letters are valid for any two days between Monday and Thursday.

These guidelines were formulated and approved in December 2024.

Letters' not considered.

Minister Konda Surekha said that despite the letters, devotees face inconvenience at the shrine. "The TTD officials are not following the instructions in the right spirit. This is causing inconvenience to the public representatives and devotees from the state. I urge AP CM to intervene and instruct the TTD authorities to follow the approved policy," Surekha said.

Increase in visitors from TG to Tirumala.

On average, 30,000 to 50,000 people visit the temple daily. "Despite the bifurcation of the state, the number of people visiting Tirumala has increased in recent times. The devotion of Telugu people has not decreased but grown stronger for Lord Venkateswara Swamy," Surekha said.

NewsMeter contacted TTD officials, and they are yet to respond to these concerns of the Telangana Minister.

The story will be updated accordingly.