Forest Minister P Ramachandra Reddy on Thursday stated that the government would take all necessary steps to stop wild animal attacks on pilgrims using the footpath to the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala.
Talking to media persons after a review meeting with Forest Department officials at the Secretariat, Ramachandra Reddy said that he had directed the officials to intensify steps to trap panthers straying onto the footpath route.
He said an aerial survey of the area would be conducted on Sunday in order to track the wild animals' movements, and necessary steps would be then taken to plug loopholes in the security measures at the earliest.
"The government will take steps to improve the confidence of pilgrims, who are coming on footpath route to Tirumala," he said.
Ramachandra Reddy said the deer park will be shifted and that the animals will be sent to either the deer park in Chittoor or the newly developed park at Idupulapaya in YSR (formerly Kadapa) district.
He also revealed that the government has proposed to set up 4 research stations in forests, and that the Department will spend Rs. 500 crore by next March on employment-generation schemes.
Earlier, the Forest Department advised the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Board to provide more lighting on the footpath route, to scare animals and protect the devotees.
The temple administration has already stopped the footpath walkers from 4pm till 6am, following the second attack on child devotees last Sunday.