Ninety counters have been set up at eight centres in Tirupati to distribute free tokens for darshan at the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple on the occasion of the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival, and arrangements have been to manage the large crowds, the trust that manages the temple said after six people were killed Wednesday night in a stampede when thousands gathered to collect tokens. “Elaborate arrangements have been made for the 10 days of the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan, to be held from Friday (January 10), keeping in mind the huge turnout of devotees,” Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman B R Naidu told The Indian Express. He said the VIP darshan commences Friday at 4.30 am while the sarva darshan begins at 8 am. Special darshans, including for senior citizens, the disabled, parents with infants, NRIs and others remain cancelled at the temple during these 10 days. Recommendation letters will not be accepted either during this period to allow more devotees to take darshan through the Vaikuntha Dwaram, the TTD chairman said. “We have made arrangements to avoid any traffic problems at Tirumala in Tirupati and around 3,000 policemen have been deployed, besides 1,550 TTD personnel, for security arrangements,” he said. The distribution of water and Annaprasadam to the devotees continuously from 6 am to midnight has also been arranged for this period. Naidu reiterated that only devotees with darshan tokens or tickets are allowed in the queues due to limited accommodation available in Tirumala, where the temple is located. Devotees are requested to come only on the allotted date and time on their token or tickets to avoid long waiting hours, he said. Keeping in mind the health and safety of devotees coming to Tirumala, Naidu also requested them to wear masks. On Wednesday night, at least six people were killed and dozens injured when tokens for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara were being distributed at the MGM High School at Bairagipatteda in Tirupati, located close to the Vishnu Nivasam temple. Thousands of devotees seeking the tokens started gathering at the counters on Wednesday morning, and by evening, there was already pushing and jostling. Naidu said the stampede was triggered when the gate was opened to let out a woman who was feeling uneasy, but the gathered devotees pushed in all at once. YSRCP leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Velampalli Srinivas criticised the state government and alleged that it failed to manage the ticket distribution in Tirupati. He held the government accountable for the incident, terming the deaths a result of negligence. Srinivas also accused the TTD of prioritising VIP services over devotees’ welfare.
