Senior IAS officer Anil Kumar Singhal assumed charge as the new executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Wednesday and also took oath as member secretary (ex-officio) of the TTD Board.
The current EO, J Syamala Rao, was transferred to Andhra Pradesh’s General Administration Department as its principal secretary (political). Singhal previously served as TTD’s executive officer from May 2017 to October 2020, and returns for a second term.
Outgoing EO Rao oversaw several changes at the Lord Sri Venkateswara temple, also known as Tirupati Balaji temple. He took charge of the investigation into the allegations of adulteration of ghee used to prepare the famous laddus.
TTD employees felicitated Rao Tuesday evening.
Describing his short stint as TTD EO a more satisfying journey in his career, Rao said it was a divine opportunity to serve at the temple, saying: “I always wished to do 10 years of development in just two years. In TTD, all developments are on one side and creating facilities for pilgrims, which is a big and challenging task, is on the other”.
Under Rao, all services provided by TTD – such as Annaprasadam (free meals), preparation and distribution of laddus, and darshan, accommodation — were brought under one platform. The feedback mechanism has been institutionalised “and today we have 96% positive feedback from the devotees in all aspects”, Rao said.
“We touched almost all subjects with feedback mechanisms and brought a lot of improvements in all core areas. I always aspired and worked with a long-term vision for the larger benefit of devotees for the next 25 years and succeeded in many with the support of TTD employees. I wish you all to continue the same team spirit in future too and achieve laurels to the institution by serving devotees with dedication,” he said.
Rao also focussed on the development of TTD’s local temples in a phased manner, with officials claiming there was an increase in footfall to these temples. Officials also claimed other improvements, such as the maintenance of dams using the latest technology and extensive repairs of Tirumala Ghat road, open drainage management, and solid waste management – were also undertaken under Rao’s tenure.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
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