Tirupati Collector S. Venkateswar on Thursday assured that arrangements are in place for Vaikunth Ekadasi, which begins Friday. The Hindu festival celebrates the opening of the gates to Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu, and is a day of fasting, worship, and devotion, considered the holiest for his worship.
This comes after six people were killed in a stampede that broke out in Tirupati on Tuesday night during ticket distribution. Forty others were injured in the mishap.
“Elaborate arrangements have been made for Vaikunth Ekadasi this year by TTD and the District Administration. A sufficient number of police personnel have been deployed at all nine ticket counters in Tirupati and one in Tirumala. We have also set up holding areas. There was some miscommunication regarding the opening of the gate, which led to an unfortunate incident,” Venkateswar told reporters.
The collector said that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had spoken with all concerned officials following the incident. “The CM is coming here to visit the patients and review the situation,” he noted.
“The situation was brought under control by 9:30 pm last night. Ticket distribution at all queue counters was completed around 1 am. This year, additional forces have been deployed in Tirumala,” the official said.
“Five persons died in the stampede, and one person passed away due to illness. Post-mortem examinations are underway and will be completed soon. So far, 1.2 lakh tickets have been sold,” he added.
The Andhra Pradesh CM has called for a review meeting on Thursday and is also due to meet the families of the deceased later in the day.
The Vaikunta Dwara Darshan is scheduled to be held at the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple from January 10 to 19, allowing devotees to pass through the sacred gate to receive Lord Venkateswara’s blessings.
from National https://ift.tt/yZp1oM2