Bhumana Alleges Irregularities in Srivani Ticket Sales

Nellore:Former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy on Saturday alleged large-scale irregularities and corruption in the issuance of Srivani darshan tickets, claiming that common devotees were being denied access while tickets were being diverted to the black market.

Addressing the media in Tirupati, Bhoomana accused TTD of continuing with outdated software lacking proper security audit mechanisms. He claimed that despite attempting to book Srivani tickets himself, all 800 tickets were shown as sold out within a minute of opening at 9 am.

He alleged that “auto-filling” methods were being used in online bookings and criticised the TTD administration for failing to resolve the issue despite repeated complaints. He further alleged that the irregularities were taking place under the leadership of TTD chairman B. R. Naidu.

Bhumana claimed that corruption worth nearly ₹40 lakh was occurring daily through Srivani ticket sales, alleging that ₹300 tickets were being sold in the black market for up to ₹3,000, while break darshan tickets were reportedly sold for ₹5,000 to ₹8,000 each.

He alleged that the scam had led to corruption worth nearly ₹48 crore and demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter, besides seeking a probe into the alleged role of travel agents in the illegal sale of darshan tickets.