Devotees stage dharna before JEO temple office

Tirumala, Jul 6: About 100 pilgrims staged a dharna in front of the Tirumala Temple Joint Executive Camp office here to protest the non-issuing of cellar tickets on VIP recommendation letters last night.

The devotees, who came from various states, including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for darshan of lord Balaji, approached the Joint Executive Camp office along with the recommendation letters for cellar tickets. But the camp office asked them to collect the darshan tickets at cellar issuing counter ATC-115, where issuing of tickets was also stopped following heavy rush of pilgrims.

The pilgrims along with children, who were waiting since morning for cellar tickets, lost their cool and demonstrated in front of the ATC-115 centre. Later, they walked to the JEO camp office, staged a dharna by raising slogans and demanded that the darshan tickets be immediately issued.

After the intervention of police and JEO Dharma Reddy, cellar tickets were issued to the pilgrims by temple Deputy Executive officer Siddaiah.

UNI