Tirupati set to get Rs 2,223 cr facelift

Temple-town Tirupati will get a facelift at a cost of Rs 2,223 crore as the Centre has included it in the the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme.        

The State-level Monitoring Committee of JNNURM met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and approved the Rs 2,223-crore comprehensive City Development Plan for Tirupati.        

Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Aanam Ramanarayana Reddy said Tirupati would get underground drainage, new parks and enhanced drinking water supply under JNNURM.

Housing and slum development will be other major work under the scheme, while the town will also get 50 modern buses to cater to the needs of pilgrims, the Minister added.        

With urban local bodies (ULBs) unable to bear their share of funds under JNNURM, the state government has decided to extend financial assistance to them to the tune of Rs 518 crore under two different components of the scheme.        

He said the Chief Minister wanted the municipal authorities to complete all drinking water schemes, taken up under JNNURM, by March 2010.        

Under the Urban Transportation Plan, the four Mission Cities - Greater Hyderabad, Greater Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati - would get 1540 modern buses.