The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) received a significant boost to its electric mobility programme on Sunday, as Reliance Industries Executive Director Anant Ambani announced the donation of 25 electric buses valued at Rs 27.5 crore, along with support for drivers and EV charging infrastructure. The announcement is the latest and largest single private contribution to an electrification drive that TTD has been quietly building for years.
Anant Ambani visited the Tirupati Temple where he was dressed in simple all-white traditional attire, a dhoti and was wrapped in a white shawl featuring a golden zari border. He donated his hair as part of the temple’s long-standing tonsuring (mundan) tradition. He participated in the early morning Suprabhata Seva and had darshan of the deity before undergoing the traditional tonsure ritual. This practice has been observed by millions of devotees who visit the temple annually.
Further to his prayers, he made a significant contribution, one that is notable not just for its scale, 25 buses at Rs 1.1 crore per unit, but for the full-stack commitment it represents. Beyond the vehicles, Reliance will fund the salaries of 50 bus drivers and set up charging stations within the complex, plugging two of the most persistent operational gaps in EV fleet expansion: trained manpower and charging infrastructure. Anant Ambani also pledged support to modernize the TTD goshala, modeled after Reliance’s Vantara wildlife and animal care initiative in Gujarat.
