"In the wake of the COVID-19 scenario we had to rework our priorities as well". Meanwhile, Director general of police D Gautam Sawang told TOI that the construction works had to be stopped due to COVID-19 and also due to some issues with the contractor. While this structure meant to cater to the Octopus units remains unfinished, the elite forces posted at Tirumala continue to stay at the Kalyani guesthouse on the hill town, posing additional burden on the TTD in terms of rental value. Today, the unfinished concrete structure of the Octopus base camp unit and the foundation stone plaque surrounded by shrubs and bushes greets the devotees travelling between Tirumala and Papavinasanam dam route. Five years have passed since but the Octopus base camp unit construction works have hit a roadblock and have not been completed. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams had allocated Rs.1.5 acre of land parcel and also extended Rs.5 crore in the form of a grant for the construction of a base camp for the elite forces of Andhra Pradesh. The cost of the construction works was estimated at Rs.15 crore then. After all approvals were swiftly accorded, it was about five years ago that the then director general of police of the state JV Ramudu IPS laid the foundation stone for the Octopus base camp at Tirumala on 18th July 2016.
After more units of the Octopus were placed on standby on the hill town over the years, the state police department came forward with a proposal to establish an Octopus base camp at Tirumala and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams readily agreed to provide all necessary support for establishing the Octopus base camp here. Given the security linked prominence of the sacred abode of Lord Venkateswara, commandos of the Organisation for counter terror operations (OCTOPUS) considered the elite commando force of the state of Andhra Pradesh have been guarding the Tirumala hill town since 2009. TIRUPATI: The Octopus base camp construction works remain incomplete even five years after the foundation stone was laid at Tirumala and works had to be stalled due to paucity of funds.