Leopards sighted, TTD restricts movement of children on Alipiri and Srivari Mettu walkways

TIRUMALA: In the wake of repeated attacks on children by wild beasts on the Alipiri walkway, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) took two important decisions that came into force from Sunday.

With forest officials sighting movement of leopards at five places, including three places near Alipiri to Galigopuram, at Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple and at the 38th turning point on Saturday night, the TTD decided to allow pilgrims with children aged below 15 years only from 5 am to 2 pm on both Alipiri and Srivari Mettu walkways.

In another important decision, the movement of two-wheelers was stalled from 6 pm to 6 am on the Tirupati-Tirumala ghat roads. However, the current timing of bus service would continue.

TTD appealed to the devotees to extend their cooperation in following the guidelines taken by it keeping in view the larger interests of the devotees till the issue of wild beasts was resolved.

TTD Chairman B Karunakara Reddy would hold a high-level meeting with the TTD executive officer AV Dharma Reddy, District Collector, Superintendent of Police (SP) at the SP Rest House in Tirupati on Monday, to discuss the measures to be taken for the safety of the pilgrims in both the footpath routes and Ghat roads