An ambitious integrated township proposed across 20 acres in Tirupati, conceived to ease pilgrim movement and consolidate civic amenities, was among the major decisions taken by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) at its board meeting on Tuesday.
The meeting, chaired by Chairman B.R. Naidu, approved the initiation of the planning process and appointment of architects for the township, envisaged as a comprehensive hub that would streamline accommodation, transport access, and essential services for the devotees visiting the temple town.
Among the major capital commitments, the meeting cleared the construction of Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Mumbai’s Bandra locality at an estimated cost of ₹14.40 crore.
In Tirupati, an additional ₹48 crore was sanctioned to upgrade facilities at the Sri Padmavati Children’s Heart Centre with state-of-the-art medical infrastructure, reinforcing the TTD’s expanding role in healthcare.
The board also endorsed the second phase of redevelopment of Sri Siddheswara Swamy temple at Talakona, allocating ₹14.10 crore, while approving a new pilgrim accommodation complex at the Veeranjaneya Swamy temple at Kondagattu of Jagtial district in Telangana.
A committee of scholars and cultural experts was constituted to rename the roads and major junctions in Tirumala after Lord Venkateswara, drawn from Srivaishnava lore, Alvar traditions, and Annamacharya’s compositions. A dedicated division would be created to conserve ancient and historically significant structures along the hill shrine and pedestrian footpath.
Education and welfare schemes figured prominently in the meeting. Digital classrooms, surveillance systems, computers and requisite software were approved for 31 TTD-run educational institutions, alongside additional hostel capacity at the Sri Padmavati Women’s Degree College. Day scholars at SV and SPW junior colleges would be served mid-day meal on the lines of the State-run scheme.
The TTD board further sanctioned recruitment across engineering, temple services and potu operations, revised wages upward for 62 priests and service staff such as archakas, potu workers and prasadam distributors at all its affiliated temples, and resolved to continue TTD-managed road maintenance and street lighting in Tirupati.
