TTD's Bold Moves: Non-Hindu Employee Transfers and AI Queue Management

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is identifying non-Hindu employees to request voluntary retirement or transfer. TTD seeks state government support to cancel land allotment for a hotel near the temple. Chairman BR Naidu also plans to implement AI for streamlining temple queue management, improving the pilgrim experience.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is taking noticeable steps to address the presence of non-Hindu employees in its workforce. Chairman BR Naidu announced on Tuesday that the board has identified such employees and will ask them to either opt for voluntary retirement or shift to other government sectors such as revenue, municipality, or corporations. This decision follows a board resolution mandating non-Hindus to either retire or transfer.

In an interview with ANI, Naidu explained his proposal: "I personally want to meet those employees and encourage them to take VRS. If they decline, we will consider transferring them to other government departments." In another significant move, Naidu revealed that the TTD board has urged the state government to revoke a 20-acre land lease near Alipiri designated for a hotel project, citing proximity to the temple as objectionable.

Furthermore, Naidu touched upon modernizing the pilgrimage experience by leveraging AI technology to manage temple queues. Addressing the often extensive waiting periods, he noted, "We are considering technology solutions to better organize queues, potentially using facial recognition to assign specific times for darshan, thus easing the pilgrim experience."

(With inputs from agencies.)