The union government despite several requests from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is yet to take a decision on declaring the World Famous Temple as no-flying zone. The first proposal regarding this was put up in 2012 and recently TTD renewed the request after two aircraft passed over the temple earlier this month.
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There are several intelligence reports of possible Terror attacks on the temple and whenever an aircraft hovers over, the security and temple authorities are left only to panic. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had been sitting on the request as they say granting such status to Tirupati will only help sprout other such requests from all the pilgrim centers in the country.
The DGCA had rejected such proposal by Sri Jagannath temple authorities in Puri in 2014. Another proposal from Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple in Kerala is also pending with the DGCA. But with a Telugu man, Ashok Gajapathi Raju as the Union Civil Aviation Minister, the TTD officials are expecting their plea to be accepted.
