BJP State spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy has demanded that the TTD drop the idea of starting a light metro rail or mono rail between Tirumala and Tirupati as it would severely hurt the religious sentiments of devotees.
Questioning the propriety behind the proposal, he said the sacred hill, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, was a spiritual town and not a tourist centre. The onus of protecting the sanctity of the town rested on the shoulders of all. The TTD would have to face a public agitation if it went ahead with the proposal, he said.
He also expressed his concern over the financial capability of the TTD which had already given its consent to share 67% of the cost involved in the construction of Garuda Varadhi (flyover) at Tirupati costing ₹470 crore. With such a huge drain on its coffers, how could the TTD think of yet another highly expensive undertaking like the mono rail project, he wondered.
Demands White Paper
According to the TTD Act 30 of 1987 the temple funds, he said, should be utilised only for dharmic activities.
Already the corpus fund was being diluted and the income derived from the temple hundi, which ought to be deposited in the banks in the form of fixed deposits, was being spent at the whims and fancies of the administrative authorities, he alleged.
“The devotees have the right to know the details regarding the spendings and hence the TTD should come out with a White Paper on the expenses incurred during the last five years,” he demanded.
