TIRUMALA: Reiterating his government’s resolve to develop Tirumala as a global benchmark for spiritual pilgrimage, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday launched a comprehensive suite of high-tech pilgrim amenities, eco-friendly transit projects, app-based grievance systems, and safety initiatives in the hill town.
Addressing a press conference alongside Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and TTD Chairman BR Naidu following a review meeting with TTD officials, the Chief Minister outlined an expansive operational roadmap to seamlessly blend environmental preservation, deep-rooted spiritual traditions, public health, and modern technology.
Noting that Tirumala currently maintains an impressive 89.5% green cover, Naidu stressed the imperative to safeguard and expand the surrounding Seshachalam forest ecosystem under the Vruksha Govindam initiative, focusing on medicinal vegetation and rainwater run-off capture.
To safeguard long-term water security, pipeline projects will deliver water to Somasila and Kandaleru Balaji Sagar by next year, along with water grid connectivity to Kalyani Dam, he said.
During his visit, the Chief Minister inaugurated the newly established Pilgrim Experience Centre titled Durlabh Darshan at Vaikuntam Queue Complex-1.
Naidu inaugurates modernised SV Museum and tests 3D display system
Naidu also inaugurated the modernised Sri Venkateswara Museum, launched the Nandakam room-defect management mobile application, and flagged off 32 zero-emission electric buses for local commuter transit.
At the Vaikuntam Queue Complex, Naidu personally tested the 6-DVR Virtual Reality and 3D display systems. The 13-minute, 360-degree VR experience allows waiting pilgrims to view Lord Venkateswara’s daily Nitya Kainkaryams and exclusive rituals like Suprabhatam, Tomala Seva, Sahasranamarchana, and Abhishekam.
Following the VR launch, the Chief Minister formally reopened the upgraded SV Museum, which underwent a major `104-crore modernisation fully funded by the Tata Consultancy Services Trust, led by TCS CEO & MD K Krithivasan.
The trust will maintain the facility for the next five years. Spanning 1,00,000 square feet across four floors, the facility features 14 specialised galleries housing over 8,000 rare artifacts, holographic displays, and 360-degree sound systems.
Redesigned by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to present the historical, mythological, and spiritual legacy of Tirumala in an intuitive format, the facility houses 3D replicas of royal ornaments gifted by Vijayanagara emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya, rare coins, weapons, and Annamayya copper plates.
The Chief Minister also viewed an AI-generated panoramic presentation depicting the divine wedding (Srinivasa Kalyanam).
To streamline pilgrim accommodation maintenance, Naidu launched the Nandakam Defect Management App, developed by 3Five8 Technologies (ADDA). Covering 7,043 rooms across six packages in Tirumala, the app enables automated tracking and real-time escalation of electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and housekeeping issues. To support environmental conservation, the Chief Minister flagged off 32 electric buses—25 donated by Reliance Industries and 7 by Bharat Biotech—as ‘Srivari Dharmarathalu’.
This takes TTD’s free bus fleet to 50 and the EV fleet to 44, scaling daily trips from 300 to 810 across three key routes.
Accompanied by the Endowments Minister, the TTD Chairman, and corporate heads, the Chief Minister took an inaugural electric bus ride from Narayana Giri Circle to the SV Museum.
Directing the TTD to transition operations across Tirumala and Tirupati toward a Net-Zero framework using solar, wind, and battery storage, Naidu called for installing solar panels on every TTD building to bridge the gap between current generation (1 crore units) and consumption (10 crore units), while enforcing zero-waste circular economy protocols.
Announcing a major welfare policy, Naidu launched an Aadhaar-linked online group life insurance scheme in partnership with LIC of India.
The TTD will bear the full premium cost, providing automatic four-day term cover of `2 lakh to any visiting pilgrim or Srivari Sevak who suffers an unfortunate demise while in Tirumala.
Outlining employee welfare measures, Naidu announced an allocation of `230 crore to provide house sites for 5,192 TTD employees.