TTD employees to follow dress code from Ugadi

The  Telugu New year’s day will give the employees of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (Ttd) a new  look at least in appearance.  In a bid to sustain the age-old traditional culture of the  Telugus, the male employees of the Ttd will be attired in white dhoti while the female employees a lalchi.

This was announced by the Ttd Chairman Adikeshavulu Naidu who said that the dress code would be implemented strictly from Telugu New Year day 'Ugadi' on March 16. Mr Adikeshavulu Naidu ruled out any dress code for devotees.

Speaking to reporters, Mr Naidu also said that the Ttd had made it compulsory for the employees working in the temple to sport 'Tilak and Kumkum' on their forehead for identity.

The staff working in Engineering, Accounts and other departments should follow this dress code on Saturdays. Asked whether there was any proposal to enforce dress code for the devotees visiting the temple, he said there was no such proposal and added it would be very difficult to enforce it.

Ttd Executive Officer I Y R Krishna Rao said the Ttd had taken all security measures at the temple in addition to the security provided by the state and Centre. He said a periodical review meeting would be conducted regularly on the security measures.

He announced that the proposed two-day seminar to discuss the facilities being provided to the devotees to be held from March 11 at Tirupati has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances. A fresh date would be announced later, he added.