Any visitor to the abode of Lord Venkateswara not just feels the spiritual vibes, but also experiences the traffic snarls with hundreds of vehicles crisscrossing the crammed streets, trekking pilgrims outnumbering the local pedestrians, pilgrim-centric business houses making a killing and not to mention the suffocation with acrid smoke and dust-filled roads.
The major makeover is converting the APSRTC central bus station into a world-class facility akin to Surat (Gujarat) by providing parking, window shopping and civic amenities. Secondly, parking lots will be improved in five areas — APSRTC, Govindaraja temple, Tilak Road, Ramachandra Pushkarini and railway station areas, the last one being a multilevel parking lot.
While the Centre and State/MCT will chip in with Rs.500 crore each, plans are afoot to meet Rs.26 crore from Swacch Bharat, Rs.127 crore from AMRUT, Rs.150 crore from TTD (beautification of tanks), Rs.26 crore from MNRE (solar power). The city can expect to start reaping the ‘smart benefits’ soon.