The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has imposed restrictions on the devotees taking the foot path routes to Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple after leopards were spotted on them recently.
This comes after Akshita, a six-year-old girl died in leopard attack on Friday night.
According to the new restrictions, devotees with the children aged below 15 years are only permitted to use the foot paths at Alipiri and Srivari Mettu between 5 AM and 2 PM.
Apart from this, tags will be tied to children below 15 years by the police personnel at the seventh mile on Alipiri foot path and it will contain the details of the parents, phone numbers and police control room number.
People coming on two wheelers will not be allowed to move on the ghat roads leading to Tirumala from 6 in the afternoon to and 6 in the morning.
The TTD said that the restrictions were imposed for the safety of the devotees after finding leopards at as many as five places on Sunday night.
It also said that the restrictions will be in force till the issue of the leopards solved and appealed the devotees to extend their cooperation in following the restrictions on the movement of the pilgrims and the timings they have to follow on the foot path routes.
5-year-old leopard caught
Meanwhile, a five-year-old leopard was caught in one of the cages arranged near the foot path route to Tirumala.
The leopard will be shifted to Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati. The blood samples of the leopard will be collected and they will be tested by forensic specialists whether the same leopard killed the girl or not.
So the leopard will be kept in the Zoological Park. The forest officials have recognized the pug marks of as many as five leopards in the vicinity of foot path routes on Sunday and confirmed the movement of five leopards and accordingly arranged the cages to catch them.
Incidentally one leopard was caught in the cage two days after the girl killed by a leopard. The TTD is going to take key decisions on the issue of leopards and safety of devotees at a high level meeting.