New Annadanam complex at Tirumala

TIRUMALA: President Pratibha Patil would inaugurate the new modern Annadanam complex here on June 7.The three-storeyed building, located near Swami Pushkarini in a 2.5 acre land, was constructed at a cost of Rs 33 crore. The entire structure has modern facilities and it has a capacity to serve food to 70,000 people on an average in a day.The state-of-the-art kitchen will serve both south Indian and north Indian cuisine. Most of cooking in the kitchen has been mechanised.A devotee from Bangalore had donated Rs 5 crore worth kitchen equipment which include rice steaming vessels, de-stoning machine, vegetable cutting, vegetable washing and rice washing machines apart from dining tables and utensils.Another devotee Ananta Koti Raju donated Rs 1 crore under Jala Prasadam scheme for serving purified drinking water to the devotees.TTD itself had procured a roti-making machine and had conducted a trial run recently. The new Annadanam complex has four dining halls, each with a capacity of 1,000 people. Food prepared in the kitchen will be shifted to dining halls for serving through dedicated tunnels equipped with conveyor belt system.The complex also has a separate prayer hall.