Kasibugga Stampede: Lokesh Announces Rs.15 Lakh Ex-Gratia to Kin
Lokesh said Endowments department will formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) for temples built by private individuals to ensure the safety of devotees.
Visakhapatnam: Education and IT minister Nara Lokesh announced an ex-gratia of Rs.15 lakh for families of those who died in the stampede at Kasibugga Temple in Srikakulam district, along with Rs.3 lakh for the critically injured.
Speaking to media after visiting the temple and the Palasa Hospital on Saturday, Lokesh said families of three Telugu Desam Party activists, who are among the deceased, will receive an additional ₹5 lakh each under TDP’s insurance scheme.
The minister explained that a 94-year-old man had at his own expense built the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga, which had been opened just four months ago. He said even though barricades had been set up, no one expected that so many devotees would arrive at the temple.
Providing details, Lokesh explained that there are two routes for reaching the temple, one for going up and another for coming down. Darshan had been arranged from 6 a.m. to 12 noon, followed by a break of three to four hours, before the evening darshan commenced.
Many devotees, who had been gathering since the morning, reached the entry point around 11:30 a.m. As the temple closes at 12 noon, temple authorities closed the entry route around that time. At the same time, devotees inside the temple had been coming out after their darshan.
The minister said scores of those who did not want to wait until the evening, rushed through the exit route for darshan. In the melee, those on the upper steps began falling down one by one after the railing gave way under pressure.
Lokesh announced that from now on, there will be continuous monitoring of temples built by private individuals. He disclosed that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has issued instructions to all collectors and SPs to collect details of programmes on important dates from all temples across the state, including information on how many devotees have visited in the past and how many are expected in the coming days.
The minister said Endowments department will formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) for temples built by private individuals to ensure the safety of devotees.
