TIRUPATI: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams imposed a series of curbs on the twin ghat roads and pedestrian routes leading to Tirumala on Sunday, following the death of a six-year-old girl in a leopard attack on Saturday.
The forest department set up camera traps and cages to capture the man-eater leopard on the prowl. Leopard movement was spotted at five different places inside the Seshachalam forests including at the Alipiri-Galigopuram stretch, Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple and near the 38th turning along the down ghat road in the last 24 hours.
As the leopard responsible for the death of a six-year-old girl remains evasive from being captured, the Tirupati trust enforced a series of curbs to prevent further attacks on the visiting devotees.
TTD sources said children and teenagers below 15 years of age will be allowed to trek up the hills through the Alipiri and Srivari mettu pedestrian routes only between 5 and till 2 pm daily.
On the other hand, the temple trust also imposed curbs on two-wheelers movement on the twin ghat roads from 6 pm till 6 am daily.
TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and EO AV Dharma Reddy will hold a meeting with Tirupati district collector, SP and officials from the forest department, to chalk out an action plan to keep the twin ghat roads and pedestrian routes to Tirumala safe for pilgrims.
The Tirupati trust appealed to the devotees to co-operate with the administration and strictly follow the advisories issued from time to time, until the situation comes under complete control.
Meanwhile, Tirupati police launched a new initiative to tag all children trekking up to Tirumala, as part of surveillance measures on Sunday.
