Tirumala temple: Special Vaikuntha Darshan arranged for injured in stampede

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) on Friday provided special Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan in Venkateswara Swamy temple to those injured in the stampede here earlier this week.

The darshan was arranged for a total of 52 people by the officials on the direction of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and TTD Chairman.

The stampede occurred on Wednesday as people jostled for tickets for the today's Vaikunta Ekadasi festival at the Tirumala temple. Six people lost their lives in the incident.

Meanwhile, Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that this incident could have been avoided if the administration and police had acted systematically.

Reddy accused the administration of overlooking the situation saying that despite the anticipated crowd, poor planning and coordination resulted in the tragedy.

"The crowd for Vaikuntha Ekadashi is expected every year. Why were there no proper arrangements at the ticket counters? Why was security not deployed? This incident could have been avoided if the administration and police had acted systematically.

"TTD, district administration, and police had failed in their responsibilities. Despite anticipating the crowd, poor planning and coordination resulted in the tragedy..." YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said.

On Thursday, Reddy interacted with victims of the stampede in Tirupati.

Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh for the families of the deceased, along with providing contract jobs. The injured will also be granted special darshan at the temple on Friday.

The announcement came after CM Naidu visited the site of the stampede, which took place on January 8 and resulted in the loss of six lives, with nearly 40 people sustaining injuries.

"Rs 25 Lakhs ex-gratia and contract job will be provided to the families of the deceased. 35 injured victims will be provided darshan tomorrow," said CM.

"I'm not blaming anyone. I've been in politics for the last 45 years. Security was deployed but more precautions should have been taken. The officials who were deployed failed. If they had released them half an hour or one hour prior, this wouldn't have happened. Better coordination is required," said the Chief Minister.