Traffic Woes and Long Queues Mark Heavy Rush in Tirumala

TIRUPATI: The pilgrim rush continued unabated in Tirumala on Sunday as devotees thronged the hill shrine ahead of the end of the summer vacation season. With the heavy influx, the waiting time for Sarva (free) darshan without tokens crossed 24 hours.

All compartments in Vaikuntam Queue Complexes I and II were full by Sunday morning, with queue lines extending up to Octopus Building. TTD said 92,830 devotees had darshan of Lord Venkateswara on Saturday alone. A total of 2,42,894 devotees visited the temple between Thursday and Saturday.

Despite elaborate arrangements by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), devotees reported difficulties due to traffic congestion in Tirumala. Although parking spaces were available, the lack of proper guidance led many pilgrims to leave their vehicles along roads and proceed to the queue lines, worsening the traffic situation. Devotees also complained that one-way and no-entry restrictions at several junctions, coupled with a shortage of traffic personnel, resulted in long traffic jams.

Private taxi operators allegedly charged between ₹100 and ₹300 per person for the nearly 3-km journey from the bus stand to the darshan queue entry point. Though free bus services were available, many pilgrims said confused route maps forced them to depend on private transport.

The heavy rush also boosted business for fast-food centres in Tirumala. Several devotees alleged that food items were being sold at inflated prices despite poor quality. They also expressed concern over lack of monitoring by the TTD revenue and health wings, responsible for regulating such establishments.

TTD, however, maintained that uninterrupted services were being provided to devotees. Officials said teams led by deputy executive officers and department heads were continuously monitoring facilities at the Vaikuntam Complexes, Narayanagiri sheds and other waiting areas.

According to TTD, Annaprasadam is being distributed at 29 locations along the queue lines, while drinking water facilities have been arranged at 37 locations from Gate No. 69 near Bata Gangamma Temple to Service Line Gate No. 1 at Narayanagiri sheds. TTD said permanent and temporary toilets have been provided at various locations, and sanitation workers are ensuring regular cleaning.

The vigilance and security wing is monitoring crowd movement and has created 29 additional waiting blocks between Bata Gangamma temple circle and Pachikalva Gangamma temple circle. Each block can accommodate around 150 devotees and is equipped with basic facilities.

Meanwhile, devotees faced difficulties at the Bhudevi Complex in Tirupati while waiting for Time Slotted Sarva Darshan tokens for Monday's darshan. Though TTD announced that tokens would be issued after midnight on Saturday, devotees began gathering from the morning. When the gates were opened, a rush occurred and some pilgrims reportedly fell during the commotion.