27 killed in stampede at Godavari Pushkaram festival; AP CM announces Rs 10 lakh

Mangalore Today News Network

Vijayawada, July 14, 2015: At least 27 persons, mostly women, have died and 25 injured, including two who are critical, in a stampede on the opening day of the 12 day Godavari Maha Pushkaram at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh. Though the state authorities have anticipated the arrival of tens of thousands of pilgrims for the once in 144 years socio - religious river festival, the arrangements for the smooth flow and regulating the devotees went haywire at the Kotagummam Pushkar Ghat in Rajahmundry .

 

 

The state chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who took the holy dip along with his wife Bhuvaneswari and son Nara Lokesh, at daybreak in Rajahmundry is personally tracking the grim tragedy. He has announced a grant of Rs. Ten lakhs each to the family of those killed in the stampede. He has appealed to all coming for a dip in the river to follow the entry and exit signboards scrupulously to avoid a rush and confusion at any of the ghats. A large number of devotees are turning at the 263 ghats in the East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh since sunrise on Tuesday.

Naidu announced that a probe into what went wrong will be done af the end of the Pushkaram. Meanwhile, rival political parties are accusing the ruling TDP of mismanagement and failure. The YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who was scheduled to visit the Pushkaram sites on July 15 has advanced his visit to Tuesday afternoon to Rajahmundry. He is to visit the injured in hospitals and to gather firsthand what could have gone wrong.

An estimated 3,00,00,000 of them are expected to take a dip in the river along its course in Telangana State (TS) and Andhra Pradesh, (AP), before July 25, to invoke the Gods to bless them.

In Telangana, chief minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao took the holy dip at Dharmapuri in Karimnagar district at 6.21 am. Large numbers of devotees are turning up at the 102 ghats spanning five districts in the state where water stored in three reservoirs along the course of the Godavari was released to meet devotees needs for a dip. KCR has condoled and offered his sympathies to the families of those killed in the tragedy.

 

Courtesy: Indiatoday