The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the Tirumala temple, has introduced electric buses from Tirupati to Tirumala to make Tirumala more environmentally friendly. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy launched the first batch of ten electric buses on Tuesday evening.
TTD Chairman Y V Subba Reddy stated that more EVs will be released in the coming months. The TTD has also prohibited the use of plastic in Tirumala, advising devotees to bring their own steel, copper, or glass water bottles for their convenience.
Meanwhile, the nine-day annual ‘Srivari Brahmotsavam’ began on Tuesday, two years after the Covid-19 pandemic. The TTD anticipates a large influx of pilgrims. According to Y V Subba Reddy, over 7,000 personnel, including TTD security officials, police, Octopus and Vigilance Department officers, would be in charge of devotee security and safety.
Adequate facilities to the devotees
The festivities commenced with the CM making the official offerings to the deity. “The main focus is on providing adequate facilities to the devotees including accommodation, hassle-free darshan, availability of laddoos and anna prasadam as the event is taking place after a gap of two years and we are expecting a huge rush,” the TTD chairman said.
He also appealed to devotees coming for Brahmotsavam festivities to wear masks. Y V Subba Reddy, along with the TTD Executive Officer A V Dharma Reddy, inaugurated the exhibition stalls set up by various wings of TTD at Kalyana Vedika Tuesday.
Subba Reddy said the exhibition threw light on the transformation of Tirumala in the last eight decades. “The Garden department has portrayed the mythological themes in a colourful manner. The episodes from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata, Bhakta Tukaram, Trilokas, Viswarupa Darshanam in Sand Art are cynosure and the devotees will have a grand feast for their eyes,” he observed.
