State-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) will operate over 100 mini buses from Hyderabad to the Yadadri temple. TSRTC chairman Bajireddy Goverdhan and managing director VC Sajjanar on Wednesday, March 30, flagged off the buses from Uppal bus stand in Hyderabad. The service has been launched in view of the huge rush of devotees to the hill shrine of Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Yadadri in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, about 60 km from Hyderabad.
The temple was reopened for devotees on Monday, March 28, after reconstruction and renovation works lasting for more than five years. The mega project was taken up with an initial budget of nearly Rs 2,000 crore and works were launched on October 11, 2016. After roping in multiple agencies for more than five years, the temple was finally re-opened for devotees on Monday, while some other works around it are yet to be completed.
Yadadri is said to be the only temple in India which has been built with black stone. About 2.5 lakh tonnes of black stone was sourced from Prakasam and Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh for sculptures and other works.
Sajjanar said buses were being operated from all the districts to Yadadri. The buses will reach Uppal bus stand and from there, the devotees will reach Yadadri by mini buses. He said every day 104 services will be operated from Uppal and Jubilee Bus Station (JBS). The fare will be Rs 100 from JBS and Rs 75 from Uppal.
Meanwhile, Sajjanar clarified that the TSRTC is not forcing employees to take voluntary retirement. He told reporters that 2,000 employees have registered their names for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). The TSRTC will work out the package after registering the names under the scheme. Sajjanar said after completing the VRS process, the TSRTC will fill the vacancies.