APSRTC to run 16 special services to Tiruvannamalai

Tirupati: Keeping in view the importance of Girivalam (Giri Pradakshina) at the famous Tiruvannamalai in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, APSRTC, Tirupati division, has decided to operate special bus services from Tirupati district. This time, the Girivalam falls on April 5 during which lakhs of devotees pour in the temple town Tiruvannamali to take part in the spiritual event with devotion.

The event witnesses a huge number of devotees on the fullmoon day of every month. While in the beginning, most of the devotees were from Tamil Nadu, but now, thousands are thronging to take part in the auspicious ritual from the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh as well. To come one full round around the hill (Girivalam) on the road it takes around 14 kms.

To facilitate the devotees, a hassle-free journey to take part in the much-famed event, APSRTC will be operating 16 buses on April 5 from 6.30 am onwards to 4.30 pm with a frequency of one bus per every 30 minutes. The down services will be available upto 9 am on April 6. Buses will leave from Tirupati, Sullurpet, Srikahalsthi, Gudur, Venkatagiri, Satyavedu, Alipiri, Vakadu, Venkatagiri and Mangalam. Out of the 16 services, one will be ultra-deluxe while the remaining are express services.

Assistant traffic manager at Tirupati central bus station Ramachandra Naidu said that devotees can avail advance booking for these services. For further details, they may contact the ATM at 9959225684.