India, Nov. 7 -- Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams executive officer Muddada Ravichandra took charge as chairman of the three-member Specified Authority on Friday (November 06), an interim arrangement that will run the temple administration until a new trust board is in place.

Additional executive officer Ch Venkaiah Chowdary administered the oath at the Bangaru Vakili inside the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala, in the presence of senior officials. The state government set up the authority on November 2. Its members are V Vinay Chand and K Kanna Babu, both senior IAS officers.

The step followed expiry of the trust board's two-year term on October 31; the board was headed by B.R. Naidu. The Endowments Act caps the term at two years fro...