Come June, green carpet welcome awaits pilgrims

Tirupati: TTD has taken up improving greenery at all its institutions, pilgrim amenities complexes and also all along the roads and main junctions under its maintenance in the pilgrim city. Accordingly, a massive plantation of ornamental plants is taken up by the forest and garden departments of TTD to accord a green carpet welcome to the visiting pilgrims, who daily throng for pilgrimage.

TTD JEO B Lakshmikantham along with forest officials inspected various places in the city on Tuesday to oversee the plantation drive. During his inspection at Alipiri and Sapthagiri junctions, Padmavathi Nilayam (PAN) and Tiruchanur Amenities Complex, the JEO said the roads laid by TTD in Tirupati stretches to an extent of about 26 kilometres.

This includes nine arterial roads. "We want to develop green cover in a big way leaving the area which falls under Garuda Varadhi and Smart City Corporation limits look beautiful and we have been intensively working on this for the past one-and-a-half months. By June, Tirupati will have new look," JEO maintained.

Adding further, the JEO stated the Alipiri Junction will soon get a new look. On a trial run, we made electrification to Garuda Statue which grabbed the attention of denizens. Similarly, we want to develop all the junctions under our purview, he added.

Tall trees like Sypholobium Japonicum (Pagoda), Spathodea and Peltophorum popularly known as the 'Flame of the Forest' have been planted in PAN building area in Tiruchanur. While the Bougainvillea have come up very well in the junctions.

Apart from this, planting of Gardenias (aromatic plants) are all underway at some places. On the whole, the temple city will provide ethereal look to the lakhs of devotees, who throng this place as a part of their pilgrimage," JEO asserted. DFO Phani Kumar Naidu and EE Satyanarayana were also present.