Tirupati: Mayor Dr R Sirisha seeks Rs 200 cr financial help to develop temple city

Tirupati: Mayor Dr R Sirisha urged the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri to provide Rs 200 crore financial assistance from the Centre for developing infrastructure works in the pilgrim city in view of increasing flow of pilgrims. The Mayor along with senior officials of Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) including Superintendent of Engineer Thirumalika Mohan, Smart City General Manager Chandramouli, Deputy Engineer Chandrasekhar Reddy, Srikalahasti RDO Haritha met the Union Minister at Renigunta airport, who was on pilgrimage to Tirumala on Saturday.

After extending a warm welcome, the Mayor thanked the Centre for its all-out support including selecting Tirupati under the Smart City Project paving the way for sanctioning more than Rs 1,500 crore for improving basic infrastructure facilities in temple city. She also sought more help from the Centre to cope with the increasing population in the city. Briefing the Union Minister about the inclusion of three major panchayats, Settipalli, MR Palli, Rajiv Nagar, into the city in 2007 when the Tirupati Municipality was upgraded as Tirupati Municipal Corporation, she said the population of the city has increased with the inclusion of the surrounding Panchayats and requested him to provide more financial support under the scheme Atal Mission 2.0 for improving infrastructure facilities including supplying drinking water round-the-clock in the city, greenery development and other amenities in the temple city.

She also emphasised on the developing the city where thousands of pilgrims from across the city visit daily for the Lord's darshan and gave representation regarding this to the Minister.

The Union Minister Hardeep Singh assured the Mayor to provide Rs 200 crore for the temple city after discussing with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.