TIRUPATI: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman YV Subba Reddy who held a meeting with the engineers and experts from the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, and Chennai at Sri Padmavathi guest house here on Friday directed the TTD officials to expedite the repair of second ghat road leading to Tirumala on a war-footing. He wanted works to be completed by month-end.
It may be recalled that the up-ghat road leading to the sacred abode of Lord Venkateswara was severely damaged at multiple places following landslides triggered by incessant rains on Wednesday.
TTD, which sealed off the second ghat road which was no longer safe for travel, made alternative arrangements for the devotees along the first ghat road.
Following a series of meetings and inspections by TTD engineers and IIT experts, the temple body began repairing the second ghat road.
Subba Reddy asked the officials to allow traffic till the twin-ghat road link point and divert the traffic from the second ghat road to the first one from Saturday onwards.
Speaking to reporters later, TTD chairman observed that heavy boulders fell on the ghat road damaging it at multiple places.
“As safety of devotees is our utmost priority, we will take up appropriate measures to prevent landslides on the ghat road at all costs and will not think of the expenditure part”, asserted Subba Reddy.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board member P Ashok, additional EO AV Dharma Reddy, CVSO Gopinath Jatti, IPS, and IIT professor KS Rao and TTD’s engineering department officials were present.
