‘No inquiry into man-made disaster?’

People attend the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony, in Kharghar on Sunday. Pic/Sameer Markande

Residents of Kharghar on Monday demanded to know why the state government has not yet appointed an enquiry commission to look into lapses at the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony that led to deaths and hospitalisations. While utmost attention was given to the VVIPs at the venue, there were no arrangements for the lakhs of people who attended the event in sizzling heat, alleged residents.

"While the attendees were struggling to get water in the sweltering summer, some fortunate people had access to milkshakes and fruit punches, according to witnesses" Mangal Kamble, founder-president of Swach Kharghar Foundation, said. "The government is silent on the poor crowd management post the event. It is surprising that no committee has been appointed yet to probe the lapses and absence of medical aid. The human rights commission should take action for dereliction of duty that led to this man-made disaster," she added.

Kamble said there's unconfirmed information about a few people getting hurt in a stampede at one spot at the vast venue. "When such a large population was expected to attend the event, arrangements should have been in place against sizzling heat. Perhaps, respective district heads should have coordinated with the organisers for seamless crowd management with the help of GPS or other modern technology," said Binu Thankappan, who lives opposite Kharghar International Corporate Park where the event was held.

Also read: Kharghar heatstroke deaths: Four avoidable lapses that led to tragedy

Officials Speak

On the allegations of stampede, Padmashri Bainade, the resident deputy collector and CEO of District Disaster Management Committee (Raigad), said, "There was a commotion, but not a stampede. We are also shocked, as all arrangements were made for crowd management along with availability of water and emergency medical assistance. A large number of volunteers were also present." On a query about having checked weather predictions, Bainade said, "Sunstroke in the Konkan division is unheard of. We had taken all precautionary measures; otherwise casualties would have been higher." A senior government official said an inquiry panel is not needed, as heatstroke was behind the deaths.

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No of entry points to the venue