The State government has ordered a probe into advertisements offering tours to sites belonging to other religions on bus tickets in Tirumala, according to Chief Secretary L.V. Subrahmanyam.
The controversy arose after a few devotees travelling on the Tirumala-Tirupati route by an APSRTC bus were given a ticket that carried an advertisement by a travel agent, offering “special tariff” to Christians wishing to travel to Jerusalem and Muslims for Haj.
Addressing the media here on Sunday, Mr. Subrahmanyam, who is on a two-day visit to the city, termed it an unfortunate incident, and added that such irritants could hurt the sentiments of crores of Hindus spread across the globe.
“The gaffe on the part of the APSRTC management, knowingly or unknowingly, has caused heartburn among a section of the devotees, and hence we have ordered a probe into the matter. The government is keen on preserving the sanctity of Hindu temples and will crack the whip if any attempt to malign their purity or spread other faiths in their vicinity comes to its knowledge,” he said. Mr. Subrahmanyam also announced the formation of a coordination committee to prevent such incidents in future.
At a meeting with the TTD officials later, the Chief Secretary reviewed the measures taken to preserve the copper plates containing the ‘sankirtans’ composed by saint-poet Tallapaka Annamacharya. He advised the officials to showcase the rare artefacts by prominently displaying them in the Tirumala museum.
He also reviewed the arrangements being made ahead of the Srivari Brahmotsavams scheduled to begin on September 30.
In the early hours of the day, Mr. Subrahmanyam offered prayers at the temple of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala.
TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal and Special Officer (Tirumala) A.V. Dharma Reddy presented him the Lord’s prasadam and portrait.
Chief Vigilance and Security Officer Gopinath Jetty and Deputy Executive Officer Harindranath were present.