TTD will provide sticks to devotees from September 4

Tirumala : Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the temple management has decided to provide sticks to the devotees who trek the hills through the footpaths to Tirumala, for their safety, from September 4. TTD EO AV Dharma Reddy speaking to media after the Dial Your EO proogrmme held at Tirumala on Friday said to begin with TTD procured 15,000 (Fifteen thousand) sticks as part of safety measures suggested by the forest department for the devotees reaching Tirumala on foot through the Alipiri footpath which meanders through thick forests including the wild animal habitation in the Seshachalam forests. Answering a question, he said the sticks will provided at the 7th mile on the footpath to the devotees who have to return them to TTD staff at Mokalimitta, near Tirumala, for recycling the sticks to the devotees. Required arrangements are being made for providing sticks and taking them back. The EO said that the stick supply is now only on the Alipiri footpath, to cover the footpath area from 7th mile to Mokalimitta, about 3 km stretch where the wild animals including leopards were spotted moving frequently. It may be noted here that, the TTD on the recommendation of Forest department initiated series of safety measures for the footpath pilgrims and also proposed sticks supply to the devotees to deter wild animals from attacking them, in the aftermath of a leopard’s deadly attack on a 6-year-old girl Lakshita on August 11, sending shock waves nationwide and evoked bitter criticism against the TTD for its failure to ensure safety of devotees at Tirumala. Meanwhile, the EO said forest officials informed that a leopard movement was spotted in the forest near footpath, through the trap cameras set up in the forests near Alipiri footpath on the hills. The TTD has barred the sale of fruits and vegetables on both footpaths as some devotees are buying and feeding the animals which are in turn attracting the wild animals to footpaths leading to attack on devotees. All vendors and traders are instructed to segregate wet and dry garbage and dump them in dustbins only and mobile numbers of forest and health officials are circulated among vendors and also signages put on footpaths for benefit of devotees. The EO took the occasion to explain TTD’s various pilgrim-friendly measures and also development initiatives taken up for improving facilities at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara which is attracting daily an average of more than 70,000 pilgrims and on weekends nearly a lakh. This year the Brahmotsavams coincided with the holy Tamil Puratasi month and extensive arrangements are being made for devotees convenience as large numbers are expected to participate, he said. The EO said the TTD has provided Rs 25 lakh to 500 temples constructed in backward areas from the funds of Srivani Trust, remitting Rs 5,000 each to shrines for daily Doopa, Deepa Naivedyams, in August. The handling of baggage including mobile phones streamlined, he said claiming that the digitised and automated system titled Balaji Bagage management system(BBMS) proved easy and comfortable for the devotees to deposit and retrieve their luggage and mobiles. The TTD now handles 60,000 mobile phones and 40,000 pieces of luggage on a daily basis through 44 counters set up at 16 centres at various places at Tirumala and Tirupati (Alipiri). The TTD will conduct a three-day workshop at its Sri Venkateswara Traditional Sculpture and Architecture college on making statues and temple building from September 4 to 6. Expert sculptors and Stapathis from AP, Telangana,Tamil Nadu and Karnataka will present new skills and techniques of temple building at the workshop. As TTD has excellent infrastructure for conducting organs transplants at SVIMS hospital, EO appealed to people to spread awareness on organ donations.