The Srivari Mettu footpath leading to the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara was reopened for public use on May 5.
The route, believed to be the shortest trekking route from Srinivasa Mangapuram, was badly damaged after torrential rains last November, resulting in massive dislocation of boulders and extensive damage to culverts.
On an average around 6,000 pilgrims trek the route daily and their numbers increase to over 15,000 during festivals and crowded days.
Taking cognizance of the increasing preference by devotees for the path, which has little stems as compared to the Alipiri footpath, restoration work was carried out on a war footing at a cost of ₹3.60 crore.
YV Subba Reddy, Chairman, TTD, who formally opened the route, lauded the engineering officials and lauded the continued efforts of Erode-based RR Builders DGM Armugam in completing the restoration works ahead of schedule to remove the complexities of the project. .
“The damaged sites were located halfway along the way and the material was moved manually which was nevertheless a daunting task,” he said. Later he also honored the engineering staff and the contractor.
Besides this, TTD member trustees, JEO Sada Bhargavi, Veerabrahmam, CVSO Narasimha Kishor, Chief Engineer Nageswara Rao and SE Jagadishwar Reddy were among others present.