Devotees planning to trek their way to the Kondagattu shrine from the foothills are left to their fate, thanks to the dilapidated stairway.
Popularly known as metladaari , the stairway was the preferred route for devotees to reach the Lord Anjaneya temple for decades.
With the development of the ghat road and plying of RTC buses and private vehicles, the number of devotees taking the metladaari dwindled. However, since the Kondagattu tragedy a year ago, the ghat road was closed for buses and heavy vehicles, the stairway once again opened up as an option for the devotees.
Tragically, the 1.2-kilometre long metladaari is worn out and the railings are not in the best shape. After the authorities laid pipelines for Mission Bhagiratha, the steps were covered with mud.
Normally, it takes about 20 minutes to reach the shrine through trekking. But with the battered stairway slippery at some points, it takes devotees now at least 45 minutes to reach the temple.
After the ghat road accident, the government had announced modernisation of the stairway by laying new steps and improving the railing. Even view points with cement chairs to enjoy the green foliage were promised.
All that has remained at proposal stage.
