Panel set up to ensure discipline in Tirumala

TIRUMALA: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)’s Specified Authority, at its meeting here on Thursday, discussed the recent sexual harassment of a student by his seniors at its Veda Pathashala and constituted a high-level committee of six persons headed by joint executive officer KS Srinvasa Raju to ensure transparency and a disciplined environment.The authority decided to give green signal to the Divya Bharati project, for which it had allocated 29.5 acres of land at Alipiri. The land, allocated to the tourism department in the past, was resumed and alienated for Divya Bharati now.The project envisages providing comprehensive accommodation, transport, commercial establishments in a spiritual ambience at a single place, which is expected to decrease the pressure on Tirumala to an extent. A project report is expected to be submitted to the TTD in six weeks’ time.The authority, by another decision, approved a proposal to install modern vehicle scanners at a cost of Rs 1.36 crore as part of a  vehicle surveillance system. Three vehicle scanners will be installed at the Alipiri security check-post. The meeting also decided to request the AP State Police Recruitment Board to fill 210 guard posts in the TTD’s vigilance and security department.On the directions of the state government, the TTD decided to construct dormitories for the attendants of patients at SVIMS Hospital in Tirupati. A study will be conducted to estimate the requirement of bed strength and the expenditure to be incurred.To cut down on delays in the movement of files from the work inspector upwards to the executive officer in case any deviation or modification of any construction or engineering work, it was decided to decentralise the decision-making process. Additional powers will be delegated to the chief engineer, executive engineer and superintending engineers as per the recommendations made by retired chief engineer Kondal Rao.In regard to forest workers’ demands for time scale, the authority said a decision would be taken after careful perusal of the provisions of GO No 3.Specified Authority members Nagi Reddy and IYR Krishna Rao were present at the media briefing by chairman J satyanarayana.