Pilgrim centres safety beyond Gods' control also?

Bangalore: It seems like even Gods can't guarantee safety in their own holy places. Stampede and deaths have almost become a ritual in the religious places of India. Who do we blame for such disasters? - the government, religious authorities or the devotees?

Fresh news emerges from Kerala's Idukki district that at least 100 pilgrims are feared dead in a accident- triggered stampede. The pilgrims were returning after having darshan of the deity at the Sabarimala shrine on the auspicious makara sankranty day.

This is the latest of the deadly disasters at the Indian religious places claiming many lives. At least 63 people were killed and thirty five injured in a stampede at an ashram in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh in March 2010. It was in September 2008, on the occasion of the start of Navaratri, nearly 150 people lost their lives and over 425 injured in a stampede at the Chamunda Devi Temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh also witnessed a similar incident in the same year which claimed almost 150 lives. Eight people were trampled to death in March 2008 in Karila village in Madhya Pradesh. The 2005 stampede incident in Mandhar Devi temple in Maharashtra claimed nearly 300 lives. These are some of the deadly disasters the country has seen in the last few years. Almost 700 lives were lost in eight years in temple stampedes in India.

Some say 'life comes cheap in India' and such sad incidents prove it. It should be noted that many of these incidents happen during the festivals known to everyone and so an unexpected crowd can always be expected. Blame game has become the part of the show that starts after all such tragic events but yields no good - neither to the victims nor to the system.

The authorities should learn from some of the well-run religious places such as Tirupati which even has unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance as part of its security enhancement plan. The town is it is well connected by air, rail and road. The well managed independent trust, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which employs more than 14,000 people, provides proper transportation, accommodation and meals to the pilgrims. The improved infrastructure in the temple town has attracted large investments from various industries including IT/ITeS.

This is not the case in most of the religious places across India. Most of them do not have proper crowd management measures. Ambulance and medical facilities are rudimentary in most cases. A well-designed action plan for proper crowd movements and disaster management is almost non-existent. Mass events conducted by the so-called self-proclaimed living gods without proper permission or knowledge of the local authorities lead to such disasters. The police force is often incompetent to deal with this situation as they are not given proper training, trials or equipments.

The gross mismanagement and apathy by the government and its local authorities are often responsible for such untoward events. When negligence of the authorities are well exhibited by the fact that many such mammoth gatherings were allowed to take place in very small places without proper measures to control the large crowd movement.

It is obvious that any sudden rush of the panic gripped devotes will result in such tragedies and if we do not take adequate measures to put an end to this, then even Gods won't be able to help his devotees.