Thiruvananthapuram: As the bodies of those who perished in the stampede during the Sabarimala pilgrimage on Friday were being transported to their respective states, the Kerala government came under more fire — this time from the state's High Court.
The High Court expressed its displeasure over what it termed the neglect of safety aspects for Sabarimala pilgrims by the state government, and asked it to submit a detailed report on the stampede.
In all, 102 pilgrims were killed at Pulmedu, which is located near Vandiperiyar, when a stampede occurred shortly after pilgrims had witnessed the Makara Jyoti light on the hills. Except for five Keralites, all the deceased were pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
A division bench of the High Court, comprised of Justice Thottathil Radhakrishnan and Justice P.S. Gopinathan, directed authorities, including the police, forest department and the Travancore Devaswom Board, to provide reports on the reasons that led to the massive tragedy.
The court fixed a Thursday deadline for the report to be submitted.
The court was particularly displeased that a recent warning to regulate the flow of pilgrims had also gone unheeded.
The division bench pointed out the lack of co-ordination among the different departments involved in the management of the pilgrimage to the hill shrine of Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district.
The shrine itself borders the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Three days after the tragedy, opinion differs on what exactly caused the loss of so many lives.
Among the different reasons being put forward are the laxity on the part of forest authorities in restricting the number of pilgrims entering the Pulmedu area, a shortage of policemen to ensure crowd control, and the construction of temporary shops along the sides of the narrow path through Pulmedu, which choked the flow of pilgrims and led to the stampede.
Most of the bodies from neighbouring states were flown out to their respective home towns while three more were awaiting identification.
The High Court expressed its displeasure over what it termed the neglect of safety aspects for Sabarimala pilgrims by the state government, and asked it to submit a detailed report on the stampede.
In all, 102 pilgrims were killed at Pulmedu, which is located near Vandiperiyar, when a stampede occurred shortly after pilgrims had witnessed the Makara Jyoti light on the hills. Except for five Keralites, all the deceased were pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
A division bench of the High Court, comprised of Justice Thottathil Radhakrishnan and Justice P.S. Gopinathan, directed authorities, including the police, forest department and the Travancore Devaswom Board, to provide reports on the reasons that led to the massive tragedy.
The court fixed a Thursday deadline for the report to be submitted.
The court was particularly displeased that a recent warning to regulate the flow of pilgrims had also gone unheeded.
The division bench pointed out the lack of co-ordination among the different departments involved in the management of the pilgrimage to the hill shrine of Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district.
The shrine itself borders the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Three days after the tragedy, opinion differs on what exactly caused the loss of so many lives.
Among the different reasons being put forward are the laxity on the part of forest authorities in restricting the number of pilgrims entering the Pulmedu area, a shortage of policemen to ensure crowd control, and the construction of temporary shops along the sides of the narrow path through Pulmedu, which choked the flow of pilgrims and led to the stampede.
Most of the bodies from neighbouring states were flown out to their respective home towns while three more were awaiting identification.
