While the Kerala government has ordered a judicial probe into the tragedy that has claimed 104 lives, the irony is that the disaster could have been averted — if recent orders from the Kerala high court for better management of the pilgrimage had been implemented, or if the suggestions of a judicial probe that followed a similar tragedy 11 years ago had been heeded.
In fact, forest authorities too hadbrought various lapses to the notice of government officials and even ministers at several review meetings.
Given that the stampede was caused by a jeep that went out of control, questions are being raised as to how the police could allow vehicles to enter the area, which is a Reserve Forest Region.
“We had suggested a strict regulation of pilgrims trekking along the seven-km path unless until basic amenities were provided in the area,” a forest official said.
While the presence of a large number of mini-vehicles like jeeps and autorickshaws without permission or control through the forested route, part of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, proved fatal, lack of basic amenities like lighting, water supply and camping facilities, coupled with insufficient police deployment contributed to the stampede, said forest officials.
Though the Pullumedu route has been used by pilgrims from Tamil Nadu since long, the area had never been sufficiently covered by security and crowd management plans of the Sabarimala pilgrimage.
On days of heavy rush, the entire focus of the forces, including the police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), would shift to the Sannidhanam-Pampa route used by over 90% of pilgrims.
On Friday, when the incident occurred, only a few members of the Forest Protection Councils and about 30 policemen from the local police station were present to manage the unexpectedly high inflow of pilgrims, sources said.
The tragedy occurred when a jeep carrying pilgrims ploughed into a crowd and capsized, killing some instantly and triggering the stampede, rescuers said.
As per the final figures of identification, 31 victims were from Tanil Nadu, 28 from Karnataka, 23 from Andhra Pradesh, five from Kerala, two from Pondicherry, and one from Sri Lanka, with the identities of 14 victims yet to be ascertained. - www.dnaindia.com/india
No comments:
Post a Comment