Tirupati: Devotees in their thousands thronged towards Tirumala hills for the Garuda Vahana Seva on Saturday. But they had to contend with traffic restrictions and overcrowding.
After spending many hours reaching the hill town, most failed to find a place in the mada streets to watch the procession.
Authorities diverted majority of private vehicles heading towards Tirumala to the designated parking areas in Tirupati itself, as by then the limited parking space in Tirumala had gone chock-a-block.
Devotees had to leave their vehicles in Tirupati and depend on APSRTC buses to reach Tirumala.
The surge of crowds had been such that long queues formed at the several bus boarding points. Families travelling with children and elderly members had been the most inconvenienced.
“We came in our own car expecting to go directly to Tirumala.
But we had to leave our car in a parking area. We then had to wait for a bus for a long time,” said Tippireddy Mahesh Reddy, a devotee from Kadapa.
For devotees who reached Tirumala, getting access to the galleries along the mada streets posed another difficulty.
Pilgrims had started arriving at the galleries from the morning itself to secure their places and watch the Garuda Seva.
Galleries reached their capacity as the day progressed. Security personnel stopped further entry into crowded galleries.
Thousands of devotees had been left waiting outside the mada streets. Many of them moved from one entry point to another, hoping to find an entry but in vain.
“We travelled all the way from Nellore to see the Garuda Seva. After reaching Tirumala, we have been told that the galleries are full.
We have been waiting outside for hours,” said P. Lakshmi, a pilgrim.
TTD and police deployed personnel at key locations to manage the traffic and crowds. Authorities provided food, drinking water, buttermilk, and other refreshments to devotees waiting at various points.
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