Police, TTD men frisk pilgrims

Tirupati: After being alerted by the State and Central intelligence wings about the possibility of untoward incidents, Tirupati Urban Police have intensified regular checks at various places in Tirupati and Tirumala, especially at Alipiri and Srivarimettu. This time, aiming at the foot walk pilgrims, the urban police and TTD security wing jointly conducted surprise checks and thoroughly checked all the bags and luggage of these pilgrims manually and through sophisticated scanning technology also. The urban police took the entire Alipiri Padala Mandapam and Toll Gate area into their control and conducted thorough checks. A Deputy SP from Tirumala along with his staff arrived at Alipiri and walked to Tirumala to continue the surprise checks till the entry point of Tirumala. Speaking to The Hans India, GVG Ashok Kumar, TTD Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, said that the head office had instructed to conduct frequent checks on foot walk pilgrims and to take extra care on their baggage. These checks will continue hereafter and random checks are essential at this juncture, he said. The police are mainly concentrating on Alipiri Padala Mandapam, Toll Gate, Srivari Mettu, Gali Gopuram and Mokali Mettu and kept these five points under their control. According to sources, the State and Central intelligence wings have alerted Tirupati Urban Police about the possibility of untoward incidents and suggested to strengthen the security at all Hindu Temples including Srikalahasti and Kanipakam. Urban Police also checked vehicles at Toll Gate thoroughly and there was a delay for about 45 minutes to reach Tirumala. A Since a week TTD's security wing is on full alert and giving additional training in various aspects in a phased manner by dividing the entire security personal into various teams. For developing alertness among all the security staff, mock drills are also on frequent basis. A Two days ago, the railway police team arrived from Guntakal conducted mock drill by keeping a low-explosive bag as unclaimed and alerted the RPF staff and passengers on the fifth platform.