Amid Rising Safety Concerns, Tirumala Holds High-Level Security Audit
Officials plan multi-layered checks, sensor surveillance, and disaster management for temple safety.
Tirupati: In view of the growing security needs at one of the country’s most visited pilgrimage sites, senior officials of the Andhra Pradesh police and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) met in Tirumala on Friday and conducted a comprehensive security audit.
AP director general of police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta and TTD executive officer (EO) J. Syamala Rao led their officials at the meeting held at the Annamaiah Bhavan. The review focused on strengthening security systems across the hill town and its entry points. This is keeping in mind the current national security concerns and the massive footfalls the temple receives daily.
Speaking during the meeting, the DGP said Tirumala’s religious and cultural significance calls for a robust, well-coordinated security setup. He suggested developing specific standard operating procedures (SoPs) for each security agency involved, ranging from the AP Special Police and civil police to TTD’s own security personnel.
Harish Kumar Gupta wanted a multi-layered vehicle scanning system at Alipiri, integration of sensor-based surveillance in partnership with defence agencies, and stronger cyber security protocols to safeguard TTD’s digital systems. He suggested the formation of a dedicated Disaster Management Team to handle emergencies and improve response mechanisms.
TTD EO Syamala Rao stressed on the need for a formal coordination mechanism between all security agencies operating in Tirumala. He welcomed the detailed audit and supported the push for advanced security technologies and better inter-agency communication.
Earlier during the meeting, Tirupati SP Harshavardhan Raju, who is also the TTD Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, gave a presentation on the existing security arrangements and proposed enhancements.
Those present at the meeting included TTD additional EO Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary, additional DGP Sudhakar Reddy, additional DG Mahesh Chandra Laddha, inspector general Ch. Srikanth, Anantapur DIG Dr. Semushi Bajpai, SP Arif Hafiz, DFO P. Vivek and officials from TTD’s Vigilance and Security department.
