The tragedy at Naina Devi temple, which claimed 141 lives, raises vital questions pertaining to the safety of pilgrims in such popular tourist and religious destinations in the state. Most lack proper amenities and basic infrastructure for pilgrims converging in large numbers.

The tragedy, now a matter of a high-level probe, was triggered by an “avoidable” stampede. This has alarmed the state Government perhaps more than the devotees who still throng the famous Hindu shrine, almost unruffled by the human loss. Moreover, the state’s Home Department has already send SOS to all SPs asking them to hike security at temples and other crowded public places in the wake of the serial bomb blasts that shook Karnataka and Gujarat recently.

Himachal Pradesh thrives on tourism, of which the pilgrimage component is crucial. Needless to say the state can ill-afford such accidents. In the past three years, more than 600 pilgrims have died, mainly due to negligence of drivers, who proved to be incompetent in navigating the treacherous mountain roads.

The recent tragedy highlights the near-absence of a crowd control system at temples and the lack of an immediate response to emergency situations. Most temples in the state are run by trusts that have separate management committees headed by local Deputy Commissioners, who coordinate with the district police, health officials and civic administrations for making arrangements during the peak season. However, the mishap at Naina Devi forces one to question the seriousness with which the administration executes its job.

A similar stampede had occurred in 1983, when an electricity failure at the temple claimed 53 lives. “The Government learnt a lesson after that and initiated several steps for the safety of the pilgrims. The deployment of police, special barricades to control the crowd, separate exit routes, use of public address system during melas and few other regulations were introduced,” says former chief minister Virbhadra Singh. But all this seems to have been overlooked this time, he alleges, demanding a judicial probe into the incident.

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