About 15.35% of the devotees who booked tickets did not turn up for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala since the reopening of the temple on June 11 post lockdown.
While 37,604 of the 2,02,346 devotees who booked ₹300 online tickets did not avail themselves of the darshan in the last one month about 11,782 of the 97,216 devotees who took free darshan tokens issued at counters in Tirupati did not make use of them. The absentees stood at 18.58% and 12.12% in the two categories respectively.
Speaking to the media, the TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal on Sunday said it was heartening to note that not even a single devotee who had visited the hill temple during the last one month had reported positive for COVID-19.
The TTD had called up about 2,643 devotees who reached home after the darshan in two phases, between June 18 and 25 and July 1 and 7 and none of them had reported COVID infection. However, 91 employees working at Tirumala had tested positive for the virus, he said.
The temple hundi received offerings of ₹16.73 crore during this period. Twenty gold biscuits each weighing about 100 grams were received on Saturday.
Assets
Mr. Singhal said that the TTD would soon release a White Paper on its properties spread across the country to put an end to speculations and protect the image of the institution.
The manner of holding the Tirumala Brahmotsavams would be decided basing on the situation at that time. However, as part of preparatory measures, tenders had already been invited for taking up required works, he said.
Brushing aside apprehensions in some quarters on the financial viability of the prestigious institution, he said it was in a safe and sound condition.