TIRUMALA: Bhumana Karunakar Reddy has on Thursday been sworn in as the 53rd chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust Board. TTD executive officer A.V. Dharma Reddy administered him the oath of office inside the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala.
After taking the oath, the new chairman, who has replaced Y.V. Subba Reddy, underlined that his priority will be to fulfill the needs of common devotees and spread the glory of Lord Venkateswara Swamy globally.
Incidentally, prior to taking the oath, Karunakar Reddy offered prayers at Thataiahagunta Gangamma temple in Tirupati. He then performed Gau Puja at Sapthagiri Gau Pradakshina Mandiram near Alipiri. Upon reaching Tirumala, he adhered to the tradition of visiting Bhu Varaha Swamy Temple before proceeding to Tirumala Temple through the Vaikuntam queue complex.
Speaking to the media later at Annamaiah Bhavan, the new TTD chairman expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for allowing him to be the TTD board chairman once again. He recalled that he had earlier been the devasthanam chief during late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s regime between 2006–2008.
Karunakar Reddy highlighted initiatives taken by him during his earlier tenure, including Kalyanamasthu – free mass marriages programme, Dalita Govindam, Srinivasa Kalyanams, priesthood training for marginalised communities, increased salaries for temple priests, installation of a 108-foot statue of Tallapaka Annamacharya, the establishment of Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, and free Annaprasadam distribution at various points.
The Tirupati legislator underlined that these pilgrim-friendly initiatives have continued over the years, with the unwavering support of TTD officials and a dedicated workforce. He mentioned that Jagan Mohan Reddy has allocated 435 acres of land for the allotment of house sites to TTD employees. Moving forward, this project will be his priority.
Tuda chairman and Chandragiri legislator Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, TTD EO Dharma Reddy, TTD joint executive officers Sada Bhargavi and V. Veerabrahmam were among those present at the oath-taking ceremony.
