Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman BR Naidu on Wednesday said that a proposal has been submitted to rename Renigunta airport in Andhra Pradesh as “Sri Venkateswara International Airport. ”
He said that the recommendation has been forwarded to the ministry of civil aviation.
Naidu said the airport would be redesigned to reflect the spiritual and devotional ambience of Tirumala. “A proposal has been made to rename Renigunta airport after Lord Sri Venkateswara. The airport will reflect Tirumala’s divine aesthetics,” he said at a press conference.
TTD also plans to build a Srivari temple in a prominent location in Bengaluru, pending land allotment from the Karnataka government.
In a boost to sustainable transport, Union minister for heavy Industries Kumara Swamy has agreed to provide 100 electric buses to TTD.
Efforts are underway to induct them into Tirumala’s transport system soon, according to an official statement.
The temple body will also lease space in Tirupati for setting up a CSIR laboratory to test the quality of ghee, water, and food used in temple offerings.
In 2024, a controversy had erupted after Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that lab reports showed Tirupati laddus contained both animal and vegetable fat, sparking outrage over the purity of the sacred offering.
TTD to modernise Delhi’s Sri Venkateswara College
BR Naidu added that the 73-year-old Sri Venkateswara College in Delhi will undergo modernisation. A three-member committee led by the TTD chairman will address concerns of 200 contract lecturers before fresh appointments are made.
Meanwhile, TTD’s Dharmic wing is set to launch several new programmes, including priesthood training for members of backward communities, Sadgamaya for student value education, and Saubhagyam, a spiritual empowerment programme for women on Varalakshmi Vratam.
Other initiatives include Akshara Govindam for children, Harikatha Vaibhavam, Sanmargam for prison inmates, Giri Janardhanam in tribal areas, and Vana-Nidhi to promote ecological and spiritual values.
With PTI inputs