GODAVARI Maha Pushkaram started off in the state of Andhra Pradesh on an unimaginable sad note resulting in the loss of precious lives and grievous injuries to many. It is for the first time in the history of Godavari Pushkaralu that such a massive tragedy has taken place. This ghastly incident has severely dented the credibility of the TDP government and remained as the worst nightmare for the people of Rajahmundry. The AP state government led by Chandrababu Naidu had started a high decibel media campaign about the conduct of Godavari Pushkaralu, right from the day he took over as chief minister of AP. The whole event of Pushkaralu has been showcased in the media as an event management. The government, which is constitutionally duty bound to adopt secular stance and govern the state in a dispassionate manner, had assumed the role of a  religious organisation and huge media propaganda was unleashed  welcoming the people of the entire state  in big numbers for the Pushkaralu. The grand opening ceremony, lazer shows, huge display of sky lanterns were instrumental in the mega marketing of this spiritual event. The Pushkar ghat, which is a narrow ghat among the 32 ghats located in Rajahmundry had become cynosure of all due to the hype and hoopla by the government in the run-up to the Pushkaralu. The ghats located in mofussil areas in East and West Godavari districts were relegated to the back burner and total development activity was centered around Rajahmundry only. There are 32 ghats available in Rajahmundry, one was exclusively for political representatives and VIPs. The media bombardment about the Pushkar ghats had obfuscated all the facts.

Pushkar ghat is a centrally located ghat near Kotakummam and it is at a stone’s throw away distance from Godavari station. The entrance to the ghat is only around 300 metres and it cannot accommodate the huge number of pilgrims. A day before the start of the Pushkaralu, there was frenzied activity by the event managers of AP government at Pushkar Ghat through lazer shows etc which tom-tommed  about the facilities provided to the pilgrims  coming for the Pushkaralu. All this contributed for a buoyant activity at the Pushkar ghat.

On July 14, Chandrababu Naidu and his family arrived at the Pushkar ghat by 6 am.  The crowds had started building up since midnight at the Pushkar Ghat. A large number of pilgrims were held up from 5 am to facilitate holy dip by the VIPs and the security personnel cordoned off the entire ghat. The security personnel, whose primary duty is to protect the lives of innocent citizens, were kept busy in guarding the VIPs. Unmindful of the swelling crowds outside the Pushkar ghat, Chandrababu continued rituals up to 7:30 am. The held-up crowds were   released after the VIPs had left the ghat and the gates were opened suddenly. A large congregation of pilgrims who reached the ghat through various points surged towards the ghat through a narrow passage. The passengers coming out of Godavari station also contributed for the overcrowding. The handful of security personnel manning the gates could not control the anxious crowds and the worst ever stampede took place within few minutes. 32 people, mostly women and children lost their lives and around 30 people are battling in hospitals. Most of the victims were people from North coastal districts of AP.

It is a manmade disaster waiting to happen as the entire administration was in chaos. The state government claims to have spent Rs 1600 crores for the conduct of this event but nothing worthwhile is visible at the ground level in terms of preparing for the event. There was virtually no coordination between various wings of the administration. The bizarre style of functioning of the government coupled with the indolent attitude of some bureaucrats resulted into this disaster. The administration was found wanting in providing facilities for the pilgrims such as amenities centres, lockers and changing rooms. The pilgrims had to wait for long hours braving the scorching sun. It is an irrefutable fact that  the administration had devoted more time for VIPs rather than focusing on crowd management. The incident occurred due to gross mismanagement and lack of concern for devotees. Developmental works were not finished though funds were allocated well in advance.

Despite having a VIP ghat exclusively for VIPs , Chandrababu Naidu opted for  Pushkar ghat for the inaugural session due to  publicity stunt which proved fatal for the poor pilgrims. Rumours are agog that the AP government had entered into contract with a private news channel to highlight Pushkaralu at the national level and for this purpose only he shifted the inauguration to Pushkar Ghat.

Having come to know of this tragedy, CPI(M)  state secretary P Madhu rushed to Rajahmundry and consoled the families of the stampede victims. He demanded Rs 25 lakhs as exgratia for all the families of the victims and demanded the government to control the situation. He deplored the attitude of the government in making paltry arrangements for the visiting pilgrims. The CPI(M) delegation led by Dr M Baburao, secretariat member of AP state, had gheraoed the convoy of  chief minister at the Government Hospital and demanded remedial measures  immediately. The AP government announced Rs 10 lakhs as compensation to the families of the victims.