Visakhapatnam, August 5, 2013: Continuous protest by Seemaandhra supporters against the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh has upset the travel plans of devotees from North Andhra to the hill shrine at Tirumala.

With no solution in sight to the protests, the devotees, who generally plan their visit to Tirumala for darshan of Lord Balaji well in advance, are resorting to last-minute cancellation.

Some of the pilgrims who returned to the city after visiting Tirumala, say they had easy darshan of Lord Venkateswara but termed the inconvenience caused to them due to the near total strike at various places ‘very painful.’

“We generally go to fulfil our vow. The bandh call notwithstanding, I visited Tirumala but after returning to Tirupati, I found ATMs as well as medical shops and petrol pumps closed on Friday. It is shocking that the authorities did not take steps to ensure that essential services are not affected due to the protest. I had to go all the way to Tirumala to withdraw cash as I found many ATMs closed,” said Pravin Kumar, an NRI from the Middle East.

Source: The Hindu, DT. August 5, 2013.