In a pilgrim-friendly step, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) simplified the allocation process for cottages and pensions to the devotees who have booked their accommodation online on Monday.
For this purpose, special counters have been set up in Padala Mandapam on the Alipiri footpath and the Sri Vari Mettu trekking route.
Two counters on the trekking routes cater to the needs of the walkable followers, while the counter at the Alipiri checkpoint caters to the needs of those traveling to the mountain town.
Followers can scan their advance or online tokens at the counters and directly reach the specified sub-query offices in Tirumala and claim their accommodation.
The move not only allows the followers to save time, but also to save them from waiting in the Central Reception Office (CRO) in Tirumala and checking the gathering of people in a certain place.
Similarly, the TTD is also considering decentralizing the CRO and setting up registration counters at six points and moving the allocation counters to the respective sub-investigations.
Flexible darshan
In another important decision, the Temple Trust Board announced that pilgrims who are unable to visit Lord Venkateswara Temple between April 21 and April 30 despite having darshan tickets will be able to attend the darshan of any day within 90 days of their choice Lord Venkateswara can choose.
The decision was made amid growing concerns about the health and safety of pilgrims as coronavirus cases increase across the country.