A journey through the Tirumala ghat roads, which otherwise should provide an exhilarating feeling to the pilgrims, chanting “Govinda, Venkataramana Govinda”, has, of late, turned out to be not so good experience with a spurt in the number of road accidents.
The fact that more than 100 accident cases have been registered so far this year testifies the trend.
As the temple of Lord Venkateswara is frequented by several high profile dignitaries, the Tirumala ghat roads rank first among the best maintained in the country. The increase in the number of accidents has become a cause for concern to both the TTD as well as the pilgrims.
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The disturbing trend could mainly be attributed to overspeeding and evolution of new generation vehicles primed with high-powered engines, in addition to the abnormal increase in the vehicular traffic.
There is a phenomenal increase in the movement of vehicles on the ghat roads which at present is put around 5,000 vehicles a day in sharp contrast to a few hundred during the mid-80s.
This apart, the ‘travel time’ limit imposed by the TTD is also said to be contributing to the increase in the accidents. The stipulation specifies a minimum of 40 minutes to cover the 17.4-km journey while motoring down to Tirupati. According to statistics, more number of accidents are registered on the first ghat road leading to Tirupati.
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Drivers reportedly complain of relaxation behind the wheel owing to the extended duration specified for the downward journey.
Some motorists feel that the TTD could install “speed radar guns” at all the accident-prone points to check overspeeding instead of fixing the travel time on the ghat roads. The installation of speed radar guns will not only instil fear of being caught among the vehicle drivers but will also help in identifying the erring motorists.