TIRUPATI: A day after the leopard attack on a 3-year-old boy on the Tirupati-Tirumala trekking path, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided to allow pilgrims to trek the path in groups after 7 pm. It has also been decided to allow devotees to climb Srivari Mettu footpath to Tirumala up to 6 pm and up to 10 pm on Alipiri footpath. Security options for two-wheeler travellers on the Tirumala ghat roads after 6 pm are being discussed, TTD Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy said on Friday.He made a second visit to the 7th mile on the Alipiri footpath, where the boy was attacked by the leopard on Thursday night.
Later speaking to the media, he said it was decided to send 200 devotees in a group after 7 pm on the footpath with security guards and devotees will be advised to chant Govinda Nama. He also appealed to devotees to be vigilant and keep the children in the middle of the group on the footpath. The forest officials have identified the leopard track between Galigopuram and Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple on the Alipiri footpath. Camera traps have been set up to track the movement of wild animals. Coordinated efforts are being made to capture the leopard, informed.
The EO further said the leopard, which attacked the boy, is a cub. “The shouts of devotees and intermittent flashlight from the Repeater station had scared the leopard and it fled into the woods after abandoning the boy,’’ he said.Meanwhile, TTD Trust Board Chairman YV Subba Reddy visited Kaushik, who is undergoing treatment in a TTD-run hospital in Tirupati for the injuries suffered in the leopard attack. Speaking after visiting the hospital, Subba Reddy said, “The TTD will immediately take up fencing of the Alipiri and Srivari Mettu footpaths on both sides to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future.”