Tirumala taxi drivers protest alleging harassment by TTD staff
The members of Tirumala taxi driver unions staged a protest holding the portrait of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati on Saturday. They alleged that the Tirumala
The members of Tirumala taxi driver unions staged a protest holding the portrait of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati on Saturday. They alleged that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) administration and vigilance departments were subjecting them to various forms of harassment. Speaking to the media, labour union leader Rajesh Yadav said, “While thousands of pilgrims visit Tirumala daily, providing livelihoods to drivers, they have been harassed by the TTD staff under the pretext of not downloading data/apps, which undermines their means of survival and threatens their source of income.” During the protest held at the TTD administration building, the participants performed ‘Palabhishekam’ to the portrait of Lord Venkateswara, voiced their grievances, and raised slogans like ‘Govinda, you alone shall protect us’ and appealed for a solution to their problems. The drivers from various unions and their leaders across Tirupati participated in the protest. Union leaders, including Balamuralikrishna, Vasu, Jana, Swami, Venkat Reddy, and Ravi Reddy, along with representatives and drivers from 18 different unions, took part in the programme.