TIRUPATI: The APSRTC Tirupati region has prepared a contingency plan to handle the summer pilgrim rush and improve its revenue. The pilgrim flow is normally high during April, May and June, which averages around 1.1 lakh daily compared to 50 to 70 thousand otherwise. The summer provides a major chunk of its business which sustains it the whole year. The plan includes increasing weekend trips to various cities, rescheduling bus services to Tirumala, to cover Tirupati railway station point, so as to get all pilgrims arriving by train and adding more trips to shuttle service between Tirupati and Tirumala.Speaking to Express, dy chief traffic manager Chengal Reddy said that Tirupati region has already began additional services, including 10 to Bengaluru and 5 to Chennai on Saturday, Sunday and Monday to cope with rush which picked up after the end of SSC exams. A minimum of four services including 2 Garuda plus and 2 super luxury to Hyderabad are being run during the three days. With regard to ferrying pilgrims on Tirupati-Tirumala ghat road, Reddy said that 8 new buses were inducted and another 22, totalling 30 buses would be run. The RTC has plans to increase 180 round trips on normal days to which 300 more will be added on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Nearly 480 round trips on the three days alone as against 1,680 in the whole month during normal time.Based on the recent survey on pilgrims arriving by train, the RTC found out that there are about 30,000 pilgrims arriving daily by train from various states, which is more in the summer months. The survey revealed that the RTC is not getting even 50 percent of the pilgrims arriving by trains, as private operators, readily waiting at the entrance virtually carry away the pilgrims.Reddy was candid to admit that RTC is lagging far behind in attracting pilgrims coming by trains, despite travel by RTC is cheaper, comfortable and safe, particularly in the night. Keeping in view private operators are getting pilgrims from other states, the RTC has prepared a blue print to induce them to travel in its buses.The Tirumala-bound buses from other towns like Srikalahasti, Puttur, Chittoor, Vellore have been instructed to invariably stop at Tirupati railway station and get train pilgrims.This apart, a vigorous multi-lingual publicity campaign has also been planned to get more train pilgrims, he explained and said that RTC is trying to impress upon the Railways to allow it to have a counter in the waiting hall outside platform entrance, for issuing Tirumala. Pilgrims coming by train have to walk a few hundred yards to reach RTC buses, waiting outside at the far end of the station, passing through rows of private vehicles and hectoring taxiwallas. This gives ample scope for private operators to take away most of pilgrims, he added.With this new initiative the RTC expects to bring more pilgrims under its fold, to increase revenue considerably, from this year onwards. Let us hope the the state-run corporation which has finally woken up at last will tap into the pilgrim rush and fill up its coffers.
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