Days after a six-year-old girl was found dead following a suspected wild animal attack on the steps leading to Tirumala, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Monday announced a range of measures to ensure the safety and security of devotees. TTD chairman B Karunakara Reddy held a high-level meeting with district and forest officials on Monday and announced some measures.
According to new measures, each devotee trekking the footpath will be provided with a wooden stick for self-defense. Parents with children aged below 12 years will be allowed to trek the footpath routes only between 5 am and 2 pm only. The other devotees will be allowed till 10 pm. The two-wheelers will be allowed to ply on ghat roads only between 6 am and 6 pm, the TTD, an independent trust which manages the temple, said.
For the safety of devotees, the forest staff who have expertise in tackling wild animal attacks will be appointed. And devotees will be allowed in groups only by giving a security guard. The trust has banned the practice of offering food items to animals and said action will be initiated against those who are selling such food items. The hoteliers along the footpath routes are strictly instructed not to throw away or dump food wastes, the trust said.
The temple trust said that 500 CCTVs are being installed in both the footpath routes and if necessary drone cameras will also be procured. “24/7 wildlife outposts with animal trackers and doctors will be made available round the clock.” And focus lights will be installed in such a way that the light is visible for 30m in the surrounding areas.
The TTD also wants fencing along the route but the call will be taken by forest authorities as per the Wild Act. “After we receive the report from them, we will act accordingly,” the trust said, adding that signages about wild beast attacks and cautions will be placed at Seventh Mile, Galigopuram, Alipiri etc. “Henceforth, there is no need for the Alipiri trekkers to scan their Divya Darshan tokens and they can reach Tirumala by road also.”
Last Saturday, a six-year-old girl was found dead on the steps leading to Tirumala. The body of the girl from Dornapadu village in Nellore district was found in an area near the Narasimha Swamy temple. According to PTI, the officials suspected a bear attack. The girl along with her family was climbing the footway to Tirumala when the incident occurred.
According to TTD’s chief vigilance and security officer D Narasimha Kishore, the girl had asked her father to buy something but he refused, following which she moved ahead and went missing. He said the girl had gone missing once but shopkeepers in the area found her and handed her over to the parents. However, she went missing a second time and could not be traced.
(With inputs from PTI)
