Three-member experts' team from Kerala inspects damaged ghat road
Members of experts’ team from Kerala and TTD staff members on Sunday during an inspection of the second ghat road at Tirumala which was damaged following landslides due to recent heavy rains
Tirumala: A three-member expert team from Amrita Viswa Vidyapeetham, Kollam, Kerala, on Sunday visited the sites on the Up ghat (second) road where recently landslides occurred, displacing huge boulders and rocks from upper reaches falling on the road damaging it at four places.
The road was closed for vehicles from December 1 for taking up the repair works for the restoration of the ghat road. The team comprising Prof Manisha, Prof Nirmala Vasudevan, Prof Sudesh Vadhawan along with the senior officials from TTD Engineering and Forest departments thoroughly inspected the problematic places on ghat roads and also the sites where the landslides occurred.
The experts' team which is doing an international project on 'Strategic Initiatives Research and Innovation' will give recommendations soon to the TTD on how to arrest such rock falls on the ghat road, using advanced technology.
The team after their arrival here on Saturday held a meeting with senior TTD officials including Executive Officer Dr K S Jawahar Reddy while the engineering officials presented a detailed display of the landslides resulting in the falling of the boulders damaging the road and also the protective wall and railing on the second ghat road turning it unsafe.
TTD Executive Engineer Surendranath Reddy, DFO Srinivasulu Reddy and FRO Venkatasubbaiah who accompanied the expert team gave a detailed account of the recent landslides and also the vulnerable spots on the ghat road. The TTD also involved IIT experts from Delhi on the restoration of the damaged ghat road and also on the measures to be taken to avoid such mishaps in future, making the ghat road safe during heavy rains.
It may be noted here that after the Up ghat road was closed on December 1, the TTD allowed both up and down vehicles on the same road (down road). As a precautionary measure, the TTD allowed up and down vehicles alternatively resulting in pilgrims to wait hours to go up or come down till December 4 after which the link road, connecting the up and down road was opened reducing the waiting time.