AI command centre cuts Tirumala darshan wait time to 8-14 hours

Vijayawada: The artificial intelligence-based Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), established by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), has significantly improved pilgrim management in Tirumala, reducing the average darshan waiting time from 24-36 hours to 8-14 hours during peak periods.In a detailed presentation on the ICCC to chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the collectors’ conference, TTD additional executive officer Chirumamilla Venkaiah Chowdary explained how technology-driven governance has transformed crowd management, traffic regulation, and pilgrim movement in Tirumala.The project was set up with ₹23 crore donated by non-resident Indians (NRIs) after IT minister Nara Lokesh appealed for support during his visit to the US. Naidu appreciated the NRI delegation led by JP Vejendla for backing the initiative.Venkaiah Chowdary said the ICCC has emerged as the central monitoring system for Tirumala administration, integrating AI, surveillance systems, predictive analytics, and real-time monitoring under a unified digital platform. The system tracks every vehicle entering Tirumala from the Alipiri checkpoint, effectively doing away with frequent stoppages and unauthorised parking, which would earlier cause major traffic congestion.The ICCC now alerts authorities instantly to regulate movement and ease traffic bottlenecks. It also provides real-time assessment of pilgrim flow, tracks the number of devotees with darshan tickets, those opting for sarva darshan, hourly darshan completion rates, and expected arrivals. Chowdary said this enables TTD to accurately estimate crowd pressure and take decisions well in advance on queue regulation, compartment allocation, and staff deployment. The AI-enabled system also monitors devotee behaviour in queues, alerting authorities about abnormal crowd movement or potential disturbances.Chowdary said the ICCC has shifted the Tirumala administration from reactive management to predictive governance. “Instead of responding after congestion builds up, the system now provides advance inputs on pilgrim arrivals, queue movement, and traffic patterns, allowing preventive action in real time,” he said.Naidu expressed satisfaction over the technology-driven initiative, noting that it is making darshan faster, smoother and more organised for devotees. Chowdary added that the ICCC will be further strengthened ahead of Brahmotsavams, Vaikuntha Ekadasi and other peak seasons to handle rising pilgrim volumes efficiently.