Tirupati stampede: TTD to start distributing cheques to deceased victims' families, injured get special 'Vaikunta Dwara' darshan

Hyderabad: TTD will be distributing ex gratia cheques on January 12 to the families of those killed in the stampede incident. The TTD Board has decided to distribute ex gratia cheques to the families of the victims of the Tirupati stampede incident, which will begin on January 12.

On Saturday afternoon, TTD Trust Board Chief BR Naidu chaired a meeting with the board members at his camp office in Tirumala. The TTD Chairman has formed two committees with a few board members to personally visit and distribute the ex-gratia cheques of Rs. 25 lakh each to the six families of stampede victims along with the local legislators.

After the incident on Wednesday night, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday announced Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to the families of the victims.

The team visiting Vizag and Narsipatnam includes board members Jotula Nehru, Janga Krishnamurthy, Panabaka Lakshmi, Janaki Devi, Mahender Reddy, MS Raju, and Bhanu Prakash Reddy.

The board members visiting Tamil Nadu and Kerala comprise Rama Murty, Krishnamurthy Vaidyanathan, Naresh Kumar, Shanta Ram, and Suchitra Ella.

The committees will also verify and gather the job and education details of the respective families to provide one contract job for one person in each family as well as free education in TTD institutions.

Besides these two teams, TTD will also distribute the ex gratia cheques for Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh to the seriously and partially injured, respectively.

The TTD board, which convened on Friday, expressed its condolences for the loss of six devotees who died in the stampede at Bairagi Patteda and Vishnu Nivasam counters on the night of January 8 in Tirupati. These counters were established by TTD to provide Vaikunta Ekadashi Vaikuntha Dwara darshan to the devotees of Lord Sri Venkateswara.

The TTD board held an emergency meeting on Friday evening at the Annamayya Bhavan in Tirumala. After the meeting, the TTD Chairman, BR Naidu, said that the incident that happened on Wednesday night has shocked everyone. ''We all pray for the peace of the holy souls of those who died in this unfortunate incident,'' he said.

As per the instructions of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the TTD Board decided to give Rs 25 lakhs as ex gratia to the families of those who died, Rs 5 lakh to those seriously injured, and Rs 2 lakhs to those undergoing treatment.

Similarly, the TTD board has decided to provide free education to the children of deceased at TTD educational institutions, the chairman maintained.

TTD board members Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy and Suchitra Ella announced Rs 10 lakhs each, while M S Raju announced Rs 3 lakhs as personal financial assistance to the family members of the deceased, said the TTD Chairman.

Tirumala observed the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam on the auspicious day of Mukkoti Ekadasi with religious fervour on Friday.

The Dwara Darshanam began in the early hours of the day, after Abhishekam. The officials commenced the darshan for devotees half an hour earlier. The entire Tirumala resonated with the divine chants of Govinda, and the religious ecstasy of the devotees was evident everywhere.

Special darshan

As per the instructions from Naidu, the TTD authorities made special darshan arrangements for the injured in the Tirupati stampede incident on Friday. For these tokens to receive Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, devotees in large numbers queued up in Tirupati. Due to the sudden surge in the number of waiting devotees, a stampede ensued, resulting in six deaths and numerous severe injuries.

TTD had also made special and elaborate arrangements for the next few days for the Vaukunta Dwara Darsanam.