TTD hands over cheques to devotees injured in Tirupati stampede

An ex gratia sum of Rs 25 lakh each to the kin of the deceased persons' families and financial aid, ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, for the injured was declared by the temple body

Tirupati: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman BR Naidu on Saturday visited some of the people injured in a recent stampede here and handed them cheques in aid.

Six people died and nearly 40 were injured in the stampede at Bairagi Patteda near MGM School and Vishnu Nivasam counters in Tirupati on Wednesday, as hundreds of them jostled for tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills.

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The devotees had turned up from across the country for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam commencing January 10. An ex gratia sum of Rs 25 lakh each to the kin of the deceased persons’ families and financial aid, ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, for the injured was declared by the temple body.

“Naidu visited the critically and partially injured devotees who are undergoing medication at SVIMS (Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences) super specialty hospital on Saturday evening and paid them the cheque of ex-gratia (financial aid),” TTD said in a press release.

Timmakka from Annamaiah district and Eswaramma from Vizag were paid a cheque for Rs 5 lakh each. Following a TTD board meeting Saturday, the chairman formed two committees with a few board members to personally visit and distribute the ex gratia cheques of Rs 25 lakh each to the families of the six victims on Sunday.

The committees will also verify and gather the job and education details of the family members to see if any kin can be provided a contract job as well free education in TTD institutions. The teams will also distribute the cheques of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh to the seriously and partially injured devotees.