Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department’s Anantapur Regional Office will soon launch package tour tickets for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, said District Tourism Officer(DTO) G.Nageswara Reddy.
Speaking to media persons here, the DTO said that more details would be divulged after the tour package is officially launched.
The package, likely to be priced at ₹1,200 per person, will cover a ₹300 darshan ticket, accommodation for a day, transport from Tirupati to Tirumala, meals, and dropping back at Tirupati. Transport to and from Tirupati have to be arranged by devotees. The tickets have to be booked 7 days in advance at Anantapur, Kurnool or Kadapa offices.
The DTO said the department is also in talks with the APSRTC for developing other tourism circuits in Kurnool, Anantapur and Kadapa districts to cover local tourist and religious places including Lord Hanuman temples at Kasapuram, Namakkal and Murudi, temples in Tadipatri, Lepakshi and Hemavathi temples, and forts of Gooty and Penukonda.
Meanwhile, Anantapur MP Talari Rangiah inaugurated office of Anantapur Region Tourism Department Regional Director M. Ramachandra and District Tourism Officers on Monday. The MP said that wayside amenities would be developed at several tourist locations in this region.
The Tourism Department, in association with the Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeology Department, will try to secure permanent UNESCO recognition for the Lepakshi Veerabhadra temple within next two years as it has already been included in the tentative list, the DTO said.
Ropeway for Penukonda hill top
A ropeway has been sanctioned for Penukonda hill top, while efforts are on to get another for Gooty fort, the DTO said.
About 60% of department land, which was getting encroached, has been secured by registering with the Revenue Department in its records, and the remaining 40% would also be protected very soon, the DTO added. The restaurants at Marur Toll Plaza and Kodikonda on NH-44 would soon be revived, for which tenders have been called.
