BJP TODAY

February 16--28, 2005 - Vol. 24, No. 4

Make pilgrimage safety part of National Disaster Management Plan : BJP

Shri L.K. Advani, BJP President in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, has urged the government to evolve a holistic plan for safety and amenities at all important places of pilgrimage in India. He has written this letter in the wake of the recent terrible tragedy at the Mandharadevi temple near Satara in Maharashtra, in which nearly 300 persons lost their lives in a stampede.

"It is well known," Shri Advani wrote, "that the shrine attracts lakhs of devotees for the annual jatra at the time of the Paush Purnima. Indeed, the number of people going to Mandharadevi Temple has considerably increased in recent years, a trend that is common at almost all religious shrines in our country. I am told that one of the Shiv Sena MLAs, Dr. (Mrs) Neelam Gorhe, had specifically raised the issue of safety and amenities at Madharadevi Temple in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly last year. Yet, little was done by the State government to provide adequate amenities and improve safety measures at the temple, access to which is available only through a narrow serpentine road going up the mountain. The deployment of police was wholly inadequate. It seems that even a PA system had not been installed, due to which pilgrims could not get accurate information. The resulting chaos further aggravated the severity of the disaster."

"It saddens me to note," Advaniji added, "that in a deeply religious country like India where pilgrimages are an integral part of the cultural and spiritual life of our people, we have by and large neglected the issue of safety and comfort of pilgrims. In 2003, 39 pilgrims died in a stampede at Nashik during the Kumbh Mela. In 1986, over 50 people had died in Hardwar. A large number of minor mishaps do not even get highlighted in the national media."

In his letter Shri Advani has made the following specific suggestions for the consideration the Central government:

1. "Pilgrimage safety should be made a separate component under the proposed National Disaster Management Strategy, for the implementation of which you have recently, after the Tsunami calamity, announced the setting up of a statutory authority. For this, you may like to seek the services of Shri Jagmohan, whose determined efforts to beautify and re-develop the Vaishnodevi pilgrimage centre have been praised by one and all."

2. "The Centre should direct state governments to constitute a body to conduct a safety, infrastructure and amenities audit at all the pilgrimage centres in their respective states. Based on the recommendations of this body, a time-bound action plan, with adequate budgetary provisions, should be implemented. This should be done in active partnership with shrine management trusts and socio-spiritual organizations. The best practices being followed by well-run religious establishments, such as the computerized crowd management system at Tirupati, should be replicated elsewhere."

3. "In order to demonstrate that the government takes this matter seriously, I suggest that you direct the Ministry of Culture & Tourism to soon organize a national conference on safety and development of infrastructure and amenities at pilgrimage centres."