TIRUPATI: As the repair works taken up to restore traffic on the Tirumala ghat road following the recent landslides continued in full swing, devotees on Thursday had to wait in queues for hours at Alipiri before they could reach the temple to have darshan of Lord Sri Venkateswara. Vehicles to and from Tirumala were allowed to ply on only one of the two roads leading to the temple.
TTD chief engineer Nageswara Rao said the experts’ team from IIT-Delhi inspected the ghat road in the evening, and a decision to allow traffic on the affected road will be taken after reviewing suggestions of the team.
“On Friday morning, the team will visit the stretch that took the most damage in the recent landslides. Inspections will be carried out after reviewing the suggestions. Only after that the date for resuming the vehicular traffic on the stretch will be announced,” he told TNIE.
However, even if the decks were cleared for restoring traffic on the road the vehicles would be allowed only till the Link Road as the repair works would take at least three to four weeks to complete, Nageswara Rao added. “We have to reconstruct the walls from the bedrock and strengthen the ghat at a few places, which would take at least three weeks. Until then the vehicular traffic will be allowed only till the Link Road.”
Meanwhile, the devotees from far-off places were caught unawares and had to face a tough time at Alipiri. “There was no prior intimation on stopping the vehicles leading to Tirumala. We have been waiting at the Alipiri gate since the morning and the officials say that we have to wait for a couple more hours,” a couple from Kanipakam said.
Previously, the TTD said people with confirmed darshan tickets who were unable to have darshan due to the prevailing circumstances can reschedule their darshan any time within the next six months.