Letters-42: "Jodhpur Tragedy"

1. The stampede at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur on Tuesday (Sep.30, 2008) could have been averted - or at least the death toll reduced - if the authorities had made proper security arrangements. That there was no ambulance at the site shows the utter lack of responsibility on the part of the authorities.

Failure to provide proper security and infrastructure at temples during festivals and later announcing a few lakhs of rupees in the name of compensation have become the habit of governments and authorities. - M.C.Vijay Shanker, Chennai.

2. Tragedies can be averted if volunteers of Hindu organisations and temple officials spend their energy in guiding devotees. Why not the sangh parivar concentrate more on such issues before fighting forces from outside? Community education on the dos and don'ts while participating in festivals will help avert such ghastly tragedies. Any festival should inculcate a sense of devotion and discipline. - G.Sankara Bhanu, Hyderabad.

3. The stampedes at Jodhpur, at the Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh a few months ago and many others point to the failure to review the creaking infrastructure in many temples. Do we need to tell our administrators that elementary precautions are necessary on such occasions? Lack of education is partly the reason why so many fatalities occur. - S.Kamat, Bardez.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.2, 2008 ("Letters to the Editor")

Grateful thanks to M.C.Vijay Shanker, G.Sankara Bhanu, S.Kamat and The Hindu.