APSPDCL, APSRTC officials conduct joint survey on charging station
APSPDCL and APSRTC officials conducting a joint survey on electrical charging station at Alipiri on Tuesday
Tirupati : The proposal for the launching of electrical bus service on Tirumala ghat road gathered momentum with the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and Andhra Pradesh Southern Power\ Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) officials on Tuesday conducting a joint survey for identification suitable site for setting up the electrical charging station.
The joint team made an extensive survey in the APSRTC RTC Balaji Bus station complex near Alipiri for setting up the 33 KVA HT charging station ahead of the introduction of the electrical bus services on Tirumala ghat road with an aim to contain pollution caused by emission from the diesel buses operating on the ghat road.
The APSRTC team included Regional Manager T Chengal Reddy, Deputy Executive Engineer (Civil) A Lakshminarayana and Assistant Executive Engineer (Electrical) Hari while the SPDCL team consisted of Executive Engineer M Krishna Reddy, Deputy Executive Engineer Ramesh Reddy and Assistant Executive Engineer (Tirupati North) A Chandramouli.
The RTC sources said that to begin with 50 electrical buses will be operated on the ghat roads for ferrying pilgrims adding that the electrical bus service will be launched before the annual Brahmotsvams of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala this year in September. In the second phase, another 50 buses will be inducted taking the total number of electrical bus services to 100 as proposed by the government for transport of pilgrims on the ghat road.
It may be recalled that the TTD in an effort to safeguard Tirumala environment proposed to the government for the introduction of electrical buses on the ghat road which was approved three years back. The proposal was delayed due to Covid and was at last going to be realised in three months. In addition to the launching of electrical bus services on the Tirumala ghat road, the RTC is also readying to operate e-buses from select places including Nellore, Chittoor, Madanapalli etc., to Tirupati as part of the government's ambitious plan to replace diesel buses in a phased manner and bring down the pollution caused due to emission.