After the Tirupati temple administration requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to declare Tirumala a ‘No-Fly’ zone, Union minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Sunday that authorities are in discussions with air traffic controllers to explore alternate flight routes.

“We are trying to talk with the Navigation and Air Traffic Control so that flights can take some alternate paths,” Mr Naidu said while speaking to reporters in Hyderabad.

“There have been a lot of requests from religious sites and important sites (for a no-fly zone), so we are trying to see what can be done best,” he added.

The Minister clarified that there is no provision for declaring an area as a ‘No-Fly’ zone.

Earlier in the day, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the trust that maintains Tirupati temple, wrote a letter to the Minister of Civil Aviation, requesting that Tirumala be declared a no-fly zone to prevent aircraft from flying over the sacred pilgrimage site.

In the letter to the Minister, TTD Chairman BR Naidu emphasized the temple’s sanctity, security concerns, and devotees’ sentiments. He pointed out that low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and other aerial activities over Tirumala disturb the sacred atmosphere surrounding the Sri Venkateswara Temple.

The trust argued that declaring Tirumala a No-Fly Zone is a crucial step toward preserving the sacred shrine’s sanctity and cultural and spiritual heritage.

The TTD chairman urged the Union Minister to take immediate action on the matter.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)