Andhra Pradesh: Children not to be allowed on Tirumala temple footpath routes after 2 p.m

Tirupati, Aug 13 (IANS) Following the killing of a  six-year-old girl by a leopard on the Alipiri footpath route, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) on Sunday decided not to allow pilgrims with children aged below 15 years after 2 p.m. to trek on both the footpath routes to Tirumala temple.

The TTD, which manages the affairs of the famous hill shrine, decided to allow pilgrims with children aged below 15years from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. only to trek on both the footpath routes.

The restrictions came into force from Sunday in the wake of Friday night’s incident.

The movement of the two-wheelers has also been banned from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

TTD said that the movement of leopards have been sighted at five places that includes three places near Alipiri to Galigopuram, at Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy(LNS) temple and at the 38th Turning on Saturday night.

The temple body has beefed up security along with Forest and Police departments at all the vulnerable points along the footpath route to Tirumala temple.

TTD Chairman B. Karunakara Reddy will hold a high-level meeting with the TTD Executive Officer, District Collector and Superintendent of Police on Monday to discuss on the measures to be taken in view of the safety of the pilgrims in both the footpath routes and Ghat roads.

The TTD has appealed to the devotees to extend their co-operation in following the guidelines given by TTD keeping in view the larger interests of the pilgrim devotees till the issue of wild beasts is resolved.

TTD EO AV Dharma Reddy carried out a surprise check in the night from Seventh Mile to Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple trekking the footpath.

The EO inspected the pilgrim safety measures which came into force on Saturday that included increasing security guards at vulnerable points, grouping the devotees in a set of 100 and allowing them to trek the footpath route in the accompaniment of a Security Guard, continuous announcements informing the parents to take care of their children while trekking the footpath etc.

The TTD EO walked along with a set of pilgrims and enlightened them on the safety measures to keep themselves cautious from the attacks of wild beasts.

A six-year-old girl was suspected to have been killed by a leopard while she was walking to Tirumala along the Alipiri footpath on Friday night. Lakshitha had been walking far ahead of her parents Dinesh and Sasikala.

Her parents searched for her in vain and alerted the TTD officials. TTD’ vigilance and security along with local police and forest department launched a search operation and they found the girl’s body behind Narasimha Swamy temple on Saturday morning. Forest staff who examined injuries on Lakshitha’s body said she might have succumbed to injuries inflicted by a leopard.