DigitEye India Fact Checkers
An image showing a girl standing at the entrance of one of these routes with a message in Telugu claims that it was built by Reliance recently. See the WhatsApp message here:
The signboard in Telugu/English says: “Srivari mettu footpath starting point. Total steps: 2388, Distance to Tirumala – 2.1km”. The image has been shared on social media with the claim that the Reliance Group constructed it and shortened the number of steps from 6,588 to 2,388. See the claim in Telugu above.
The English translation of the claim reads: “Reliance has constructed a new path for pedestrians to Tirumala. There are only 2,388 steps in this route. Whereas, the old route has 6,588 steps to reach the temple town. Spread this message so that it reaches all wishing to reach Tirumala by foot.” It was shared on WhatsApp.
FACT CHECK
When Digiteye India received a request for fact check, we looked for the official version of it on Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams website for information, which has not given any details about the new construction of Srivari Mettu. Further search revealed that the srivari Mettu Margam was a centuries-old route built around the 16th century BC and not recently constructed as claimed in the viral post.
Apart from the bus route, there are several routes to reach the hill top temple town of Tirumala, where Lord Venkateswara temple situated atop seven hills is a major pilgrimage in the country. While some devotees take the bus route, others choose to climb the steps to reach the temple.
About the claim that the Srivari Mettu was constructed by the Reliance Group, it was not true as the route was an old one and attribute the construction to Sri Krishna Devaraya who ruled the region in 16th century. It is the shortest trekking route from Srinivasa Mangapuram down the hills and several renovations have been taken up over the period. With 2,388 steps covering a distance of 2.1 km, the route was renovated by the TTD three years ago and there is no mention of Reliance funding the construction.
Another footpath route is available from Alipiri with 3,550 steps and not 6,588 steps as claimed in the social media post. Hence, the claim that Reliance recently has constructed the shortest walk path to Tirumala is false.
Claim: New steps route Srivari Mettu Margam to Tirumala was recently built by Reliance Group
Conclusion: False, the number of steps remained 2,388 from the beginning and it’s not built recently by the Reliance Group.
Rating: Misrepresentation — 
