Tragedy could have been averted

The Maha Pushkaram on the River Godavari at Kotagummam Pushkarghat in Andhra Pradesh started on a sad note as 27 people lost their lives and over 40 were injured. The failure of administration in crowd management is clearly evident. The government cannot be absolved of its failure in crowd management. According to eye witnesses, there was hardly anyone to control the crowd when the stampede took place.

Experts like Marri Shashidhar Reddy, former Vice-Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), speaking to The Hans India felt that with modern technology, authorities can easily anticipate details like number of pilgrims expected to visit the venue on that particular day. A detailed SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) can be applied, based on the data. Then detailed maps, escape routes and a checklist of details of what to arrange in an emergency should be compiled.

In this case, it appears the turnout was much more than what the authorities had anticipated. Reddy said that when he was the Vice-Chairman of NDMA, his team prepared guidelines on crowd management with the help of consultants from IIM-Ahmadabad, but the present government at the Centre put it in cold storage. The system of barricading also needed to be changed. “The barricades erected for such events are generally weak and that also adds to the problems. Even during the Mahankali Jatara, the present way of erecting barricades had led to several problems. Once a devotee enters it, there is no escape route,” he observes. According to him, every pilgrim should be given a safety manual of sorts comprising all the important maps and escape routes to be used in a case of an emergency. Also, details and numbers of ambulance, fire brigade, 108 Service should be given on the manual.

Such tragedies can be averted only if stringent crowd management techniques are applied at the pilgrim place. Only a limited number of pilgrims should be allowed to enter the premises concerned at any time, leaving little or no scope for stampede and resultant casualties. Above all, the seers and the government should have created awareness among people that it was not necessary to take a dip on day one and that they could take a dip at any of the ghats and still get same ‘Punyam.’

This tragedy could have been averted if there was a separate pathway for the rescue services to quickly enter the afflicted area. Absence of this at Rajahmundry led to delay in providing prompt attention to the victims and reduce injuries and deaths.

V Ramu Sarma