Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Security beefed up in Tirupati

TIRUPATI: The temple city of Tirupati has been brought under a security blanket of an unprecedented scale, following the terror attack in Mumbai. Not only the temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, the core area of the city downhill comprising Sri Govindaraja temple, Pushkarini, railway station and central bus station has been brought under enhanced vigil. ‘Naakabandi’ is conducted at the entry points into the city viz., New Renigunta checkpost, Ramanuja Circle, Leelamahal Circle, Rayalacheruvu Road Junction, Cherlopally Cross and Shilparamam to check passing vehicles.

Four parties of Special Task Force (STF) comprising 45 men have been deployed at Tirumala to guard the shrine.

The fortification of the temple is complete with a hike in the number of armed guards at ‘Mahadwaram’ (main portal) from six to 26, who will be in a ‘ready-to-strike’ position.

“Our patrol vehicles are roaming on the ghat roads to keep intruders at bay, while Alipiri footpath is also under our scanner”, Superintendent of Police K. Lakshmi Reddy told The Hindu. Besides, the bomb disposal and dog squads are also on their toes.

The maze of hotels and lodges scattered around the railway station and RTC complex poses a great headache to the police. A mind-boggling 70-80 such lodges and hotels of varying class are situated in Tirupati East police limits alone. Further, there are small-time inns making brisk business in bylanes by offering just folding cots and a bucket of hot water. What adds to the cops’ overflowing cup of woes is that they never keep a record of the visitors.

The department has passed diktats to all the hotels to keep track of suspicious guests, not before renewing its earlier order to install doorframe metal detectors. “The star hotels, which earlier refused manual frisking for fear of offending their guests, have now agreed to toe our line”, Additional Superintendent of Police R.N. Ammi Reddy said.

Cops thoroughly sieved through sensitive colonies like Giripuram, Nehru Nagar, STV Nagar and Jeevakona, mostly occupied by migrant workers. The cloak rooms in RTC complex and the railway station are also being checked for unclaimed luggage.

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