Tirupati: Tirumala is witnessing a massive surge in pilgrim turnout due to the long weekend, resulting in serpentine queues and extended waiting hours for darshan.As of Sunday 7 p.m., the approximate waiting time for free Sarva Darshan had been 18 hours, while devotees with Rs 300 special entry tickets had to wait for 5–6 hours. Those with slotted Sarva Darshan tokens also waited for six hours for their turn.On Saturday, 78,821 devotees had the darshan of Lord Venkateswara, while 33,568 pilgrims offered tonsure. Srivari Hundi collection touched Rs 3.36 crore.TTD officials said queue lines stretched up to the ATC area, with all compartments in the Vaikuntam Queue Complexes filled to capacity. As of 7 p.m. on Sunday, over 50,180 devotees had darshan of Lord Venkateswara, while thousands continued to wait in queue halls for their turn.In addition, long queues could be observed at accommodation, laddu and luggage counters, and tonsure and Nithyannadanam centres. In Tirupati, the railway station and RTC bus stand witnessed heavy crowds, with pilgrims arriving in large numbers from various parts of the country.TTD has deputed senior officials to oversee crowd management and ensure uninterrupted distribution of drinking water and free food packets. Around 2,500 Srivari Seva volunteers have been deployed at various points, including queue complexes, reception counters and Kalyanakatta.In view of the rush, temple authorities have cancelled VIP Break Darshan until June 30. While officials claim that elaborate arrangements have been put in place, some pilgrims expressed dissatisfaction over delays in supply of food and water at certain points in the queues.TD additional executive officer Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary conducted surprise inspections on Sunday and instructed officials to ensure continuous supply of Annaprasadam and drinking water to devotees.
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