Automatic laddu-making machines at Tirumala by December

Automatic laddu making machines will be set up at a cost of Rs 50 crore at Tirumala by December this year, according to TTD executive officer AV Dharma Reddy

Tirupati: Automatic laddu making machines will be set up at a cost of Rs 50 crore at Tirumala by December this year, according to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam executive officer A.V. Dharma Reddy. Talking to media persons here on Friday, he said that the hundi collections would be counted at the new Parakamani building from February 5.

The building was constructed with all modern facilities with Rs.23 crore donated by a devotee Muralikrishna from Bangalore, he revealed.

The gold plating work at Tirumala temple `Ananda Nilayam’ was being put off by six months, he said. The gold plating work of the Vimanagopuram of Sri Govindarajaswami temple in Tirupati was being delayed with the local contractor unable to complete it in time and therefore, global tenders would be invited for the work at Ananda Nilayam, he explained. Dharma Reddy said that 20.78 lakh devotees had darshan of Lord Venkateswara during January.

The hundi collections amounted to Rs.123.07 crore and the revenue through sale of laddus was Rs 1.07 crore. While 37.38 lakh took Annaprasadam, the number of those who tonsured their heads at Kalyana Katta was 7.51 lakh, he disclosed.