Plan to Upgrade Tirupati into Greater Municipal Corporation Gains Momentum

First proposed in 2007, the plan picked up pace after recent directions from chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

According to official sources, the CM has taken personal interest in the matter and recently directed officials to prepare detailed plans for the city’s administrative expansion. In a recent meeting, he promised full support for Tirupati’s development as a major urban centre and stressed the need to advance the transformation on par with cities like Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

At present, the MCT covers a limited area of 27 sq-km and serves a population of around five lakh. Officials have pointed out that the existing jurisdiction is inadequate to support the city's future growth.

During a recent visit to Tirupati, public undertakings committee chairman Kuna Ravi Kumar said the corporation’s limits must be expanded to facilitate planned development and a failure to do so could result in substantial revenue losses.

Earlier proposals had suggested expanding the city’s limits to accommodate a population of up to 10 lakh. However, concerns were raised about the administrative challenges of managing a larger area, which could complicate governance and oversight.

In view of this, MCT is now preparing a revised plan targeting a population of around seven lakh. The proposed city limits expansion would increase the corporation’s area to 40 sq-km.

A senior municipal official confirmed to Deccan Chronicle that groundwork for the expansion has begun. “Extension zones have been identified and a master plan submitted to the government. The CM has promised to declare the civic body as a Greater Tirupati Municipal Corporation,” he said.

The areas under consideration for merger include the surroundings of Renigunta international airport zone, Chandragiri, Tiruchanoor and parts of Tirupati rural.

Officials said the focus was on incorporating the already urbanised areas to ensure uniform civic development and more effectively address the infrastructure needs.

“Land availability continues to be a major challenge in Tirupati’s future development. We are working to address this by bringing more adjacent areas under the corporation’s limits, so that civic planning and infrastructure provision can be managed under a unified framework. The expansion process is expected to be completed within the next two years,” the official added.

Tirupati’s was made a municipality in 1886 and it was upgraded to a municipal corporation in 2007. The city’s boundaries were further extended on July 25, 2013, with the inclusion of MR Palle, Rajiv Nagar and Thimminaidupalem panchayats. Settipalli was also merged into the corporation two years ago.

Officials expect that a formal government order approving the expansion would be issued soon. After this, the process of integrating the new areas into the corporation would begin. The move is aimed at improving civic services on the city’s outskirts, streamlining governance, and supporting Tirupati’s growing importance as both an urban centre and a major pilgrimage destination in Andhra Pradesh.

- The proposal to upgrade pilgrim city into a Greater Tirupati Municipal Corporation, first initiated in 2007, has gained momentum with directions from chief minister Chandrababu Naidu

- Officials asked to prepare detailed plans for expanding the city’s jurisdiction, aiming to support future development and urban growth.

- MCT currently covers 27 sq-km and serves around five lakh people, but the revised plan targets a population of seven lakh across an expanded area of approximately 40 sq-km

- Areas being considered for inclusion include Chandragiri, Renigunta airport zone, Tiruchanoor and parts of Tirupati rural, focusing on integrating already urbanised regions.

- A formal GO on the expansion is expected soon, with the process likely to be completed within two years to strengthen governance and civic infrastructure