The sliding down of rocks off Indrakeeladri, the abode of goddess Kanakadurga, on the ghat road twice on Thursday forced the authorities of Sri Durga Malleswara Swamivarla Devasthanam to bar entry of vehicles and devotees until clearing of debris.
The rock parts slid down the hill that was cut for the widening of ghat road, but the iron mesh could bring down the force of the sliding.
The mesh suffered a major damage at one place and minor damage at three places. A few portions of the rocks came through the mesh and landed on the ghat road, though no devotee was injured in the accident.
The rocks slid down first time in the morning hours and again in the afternoon. The temple authorities said that the intensive rain that was lashing the city for the last few days could have resulted in the loosening of soil on the hill, leading to sliding down of rocks.
Executive Officer N. Vijay Kumar visited the spot and ordered closure of the ghat road for clearance of debris. The incident led to a flurry of activity, with Vigilance and Enforcement Superintendent of Police B. Narasimhulu visiting the ghat road and expressing doubts over the quality of work. He recalled that the V&E had already probed the developmental works executed by the temple authorities and found irregularities.
Joint Collector Gaurav Uppal visited the place and suggested that the Executive Officer ensure safety of devotees. TDP MLA and party district president Devineni Umamaheswara Rao earlier visited the spot and alleged that the inferior quality of work done by the contractor was primarily responsible for the accident.
In future if the city experienced a heavier rain, the rocks could slide down on to the national highway, he said. BJP leader Srinivasa Raju also visited the spot and suggested permanent measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
