Stop VIP Culture at Godavari Pushkaralu

The Government should take full responsibility for the deaths of common man at at Kotagummam Pushkar Ghat on the banks of Godavari river. This incident took place when Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu was present. What does it indicate? Will the VIP culture protect or destroy the common man (CM)?

It has become a common practice in India to give importance to VIPs, which should be stopped at least now. Red or amber lights are being used as a status symbol and leaving common man stranded for hours. This is a major inconvenience to the public.

The death of devotees at Pushkaram yesterday shows how the government administration is ready to handle crisis. In India, there are many places where large number of people gather like kumbhmela, The Maramon Convention, one of the largest religious convention in Asia, is held at Maramon, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, but, in none of these religious gathering, any untoward incidents took place.

This incident of death in Rajahmundry during puskaram, shows how the Andhra Government has planned the event without any proper delegation, leadership, time management, wasting crores of rupees, where have these crores gone? What is the progress? People are suffering without shelter, the temperature is boiling, no drinking water, milk, no basic facilities, where did the money go?

Added to this, Ghats are not de- cartelized, there is a lot of scope for development of Ghats along the river and if this has been done, many villages would have been developed, but, the AP Government has been neglecting it.

For the sake of publicity, the officials concentrated on a single ghat. And, the vedic pundits have fixed dates and muhurthams for a few starting days, even though the festival is on till 25 July. This is the reason why devotees thronged on Day One itself. The AP chief minister should have monitored the planning by organisers, but, he was holding power with him, this shows, how planning fails.

It appears that he was very much concentrating on vote for note case than that of the pushkaram works. Due to the negligence of the Government, many died, several injured. People have lost confidence in the Administration. During this pushakaram, VIPs and ministers should not be given special privileges putting the lives of common man at risk. Let us all live and let live.

By APJ Vinu

The author is a psychologist