The Hindu Business Line : Kerala CM urged to publish report on '99 Sabarimala tragedy

THE Pampa Parirakshana Samithi (PPS), a voluntary environmental organisation, has urged the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, to publish the Justice Chandrasekhara Menon Commission report on the death of 52 Sabarimala pilgrims at Pampa on January 14,1999, and to implement its recommendations.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, the PPS General Secretary, Mr N.K. Sukumaran Nair, said that to avoid such tragedies in the future, implementation of the recommendations of the Commission was urgently needed. "Even after five years, neither the report has been published nor any steps taken to implement the recommendations," he alleged.

The Commission, which inquired into the Pampa hilltop tragedy had said that it had happened due to "negligence in ensuring the safety of the pilgrims coming from different parts of the country." Though the report was submitted to the Government on June 7, 2000, no action had been taken on it so far, he pointed out.

The stampede occurred at the time of the sight of Makarajyothi at 6.40 p.m. on January 14, when the devotees were only concentrating on having a glimpse of it as it marked the finale of the 60-day penance and the pilgrimage.

The Commission appointed by the Government said in its final report "the cause of the tragedy was the heavy over-crowding at the hilltop and the crowd rushing down the slope. Some people stumbled and others fell over them."

It expressed the opinion that had any of the reports such as the one of the Legislative Committee on Environment, submitted along with its recommendations, were implemented, the tragedy could have been avoided.

"This tragedy would not have caused but for the lapses on the part of the State, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) in their duty. Heavy crowdshould have been anticipated by these authorities. It was a foreseeable matter. There was lapse to take reasonable care in the matter".

According to the Commission, "it is the duty of the Government to see that the pilgrims coming to Sabarimala from different parts of the country do not get injured in their trip, that well laid roads are there, proper and strong barricades are put up in the elevated portion and no over-crowding which might lead to stampede and other tragedies, takes place. If anything happened on account of the breach of duty of the government, the State cannot wash of its hands by stating that it was inevitable in the nature of the huge assemblage of pilgrims."

Blaming the State Government and the TDB of dereliction of duty, the Commission said that the State, the Board, and KSEB are "liable jointly and severally for the damages caused to the persons involved in the accident."

However, official sources, which did not want to say anything on the commission's report, said that Government was in the process of making a master plan for overall development of Sabarimala and Pampa.