The Srivari Mettu footpath leading to the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara was on May 5 reopened for public use.
The pathway route considered the shortest trekking route from the side of Srinivasa Mangapuram was badly damaged in November last following torrential rains that resulted in the displacement of heavy boulders and extensive damage to culverts.
About 6,000 pilgrims trek along the route on an average every day and their number swells to over 15,000 during festival and crowded days.
Taking cognisance of the growing preference attached by the devout to the route which is far lesser precipitous than Alipiri footpath, the restoration works were taken up on a war-footing at a cost of ₹3.60 crore.
TTD Chairman Y. V. Subba Reddy who formally opened the route complimented the engineering officials and also lauded the sustained efforts of Erode-based RR Builders DGM Armugam in completing the restoration works well ahead of the stipulated time daring the complexities of the project.
“The damaged sites were located half-way on the pathway and the materials were carried manually which nevertheless was a challenging task,” he said. Later, he also felicitated the engineering staff and the contractor.
Besides, the TTD member trustees, JEOs Sada Bhargavi, Veerabrahmam, CVSO Narasimha Kishore, Chief Engineer Nageswar Rao and SE Jagadeeshwar reddy were prominent among others present.
