Tirumala, 13 September (H.S.): Fifteen electric buses donated by Anant Ambani reached Tirumala on Sunday morning, adding to the planned public transport facilities for devotees visiting the hill shrine.

Anant Ambani had visited the Tirumala shrine in June, following which Reliance Industries announced plans to donate electric buses and other facilities worth Rs 27.5 crore to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

The donation includes 25 electric buses, 50 drivers and charging stations, according to the information available. The electric buses are intended to provide convenient transportation for devotees visiting Tirumala.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is scheduled to inaugurate the electric buses on September 16.

Another seven electric buses donated by Bharat Biotech are also expected to reach Tirumala, taking the total number of buses being added through the donations to 32.

The introduction of the electric buses is expected to strengthen public transport facilities for pilgrims and reduce dependence on private vehicles on the Tirumala hill.

The buses will operate as part of the transportation facilities available to devotees visiting the shrine, with charging infrastructure also being provided as part of the initiative.

The initiative is expected to support cleaner transportation at the pilgrimage centre while facilitating the movement of devotees.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar