As the number of pilgrims visiting Tirumala steadily climbs, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Thursday increased its free bus services for devotees within the temple town.
The trust has also been planning to overhaul its security infrastructure, especially at the checkpoint near the Sri Venkateswara Temple. On June 15, the temple saw a peak footfall of 90,815 pilgrims, with the waiting time for darshan extending to approximately 18 hours.
Flagging off a fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses operated by the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), TTD Additional Executive Officer (EO) C Venkaiah Chowdary said the initiative aims to address both environmental and financial concerns.
“Devotees can travel in these buses free of cost to various destinations within Tirumala. The service has been launched to curb the high fares charged by private operators and to reduce pollution,” Chowdary said at the launch event at Ashwini Hospital Circle.
Officials said that most private vehicles operating in Tirumala are diesel-run jeeps, which not only charge exorbitant fares to ferry devotees to other temples and tourist spots but also contribute significantly to pollution. The initiative has an added goal of discouraging the entry of diesel vehicles into the hill town.
Until now, TTD operated a limited fleet of free CNG buses under the ‘Srivari Dharma Rathas’ service, running approximately 300 trips daily on designated routes. However, these did not cover all of Tirumala. The APSRTC buses will now run parallel to the existing service, with a bus available every two minutes, which is down from a wait time of eight minutes, officials said.
Security revamp at Alipiri check point
In a separate development, TTD is preparing to revamp its security infrastructure in anticipation of a further rise in daily footfall, which is expected to cross one lakh pilgrims in the near future.
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TTD Executive Officer J Syamala Rao and Additional EO Chowdary held a review meeting Thursday to discuss plans to modernise the Alipiri Check Point, where all vehicles, luggage, and pilgrims are screened before proceeding up the hill.
Currently, the checkpoint operates with a basic security setup. Officials said TTD now wants state-of-the-art scanning systems and faster checks to reduce congestion.
RAXA Security Solutions, a GMR Group company, made a presentation on its suggestions to upgrade the checkpoint. The EO asked the firm to propose both short- and long-term solutions to accommodate increasing crowds.
While a final contract is yet to be awarded, the EO has directed TTD’s Vigilance Wing to begin some immediate measures. These include installing physical barriers to prevent people from bypassing the check while personnel are busy with others, and replacing the existing luggage scanners with rugged, high-capacity ones. The number of scanners will be increased, and authorities will explore the feasibility of extending the luggage conveyor belts to speed up the process. Additional security personnel will also be posted to activate two currently unused lanes at the checkpoint.
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Meanwhile, TTD has proposed to the Ministry of Civil Aviation that the Renigunta airport near Tirupati be renamed as Sri Venkateswara International Airport. TTD Chairman B R Naidu said that he wants the airport to “reflect Tirumala’s spiritual aesthetics”.
