Boulders fall creates scare among pilgrims

VIJAYAWADA: Pilgrims visiting Kanakadurga temple atop Indrakeeladri had a miraculous escape when the boulders from the hilltop rolled down to the ghat road in the small hours of Tuesday. The ghat road was closed immediately.
Sources said the boulders fell after the temple was closed after midnight. The temple is being kept open for almost 20 hours between 3 am and 11 pm to meet the surging pilgrim crowd during the Dasara festive season.
Sources said the heavy rain in the city on Monday might have resulted in the falling of the boulders from the hill-top.Though the temple authorities heaved a sigh of relief as there were no casualties, the mishap took place a day before CM K Rosaiah was to visit the temple. Senior officials rushed to the temple on Tuesday and reviewed the arrangements.
The temple authorities rushed tractors to the hilltop to clear the boulders from the ghat road even before the pilgrim rush began in the morning. The falling of boulders has created panic among the pilgrims since the last few months.
The temple management had decided to construct a retaining wall along the ghat road for the safety of the pilgrims but the retaining wall developed cracks even before completion of the work.