Rajahmundry: As has been reported, the Justice Somayajulu Commission's report on the July 14, 2015 tragedy at Godavari Pushkarams, has come in for widespread criticism from various quarters. The commission concluded that media hype and the resultant rush of pilgrims caused the tragedy.

The report also gave chief minister Chandrababu Naidu a clean chit, to the surprise of many. Even more astonishing was the praise accorded to the AP chief minister saying that he had visited the hospital to see the victims and that he instructed the authorities there to provide good treatment. Analysts say that ignoring lapses by the administration and evidence in the matter, blaming the media in an incident in which 29 innocent lives were lost, is not proper.

The government, it may be recalled had been advertising for months on TV channels urging devotees to throng the Pushkaram ghats. It was not explained why Chandrababu and family went to the Pushkaram ghat when there was a separate ghat for VIPs. The AP tourism department had spent Rs. 64 lakhs on a film made by National Geographic channel whose footage showing the chief minister at the ghat was not made public.

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