Ex-bureaucrat blams VIP culture for pushkaram stampede

Eminent civil society activist and former bureaucrat EAS Sarma has strongly criticized the VIP culture at Pushkar Ghats and blamed it for the recent deadly stampede in Rajahmundry that killed 30 people.

In a strongly worded letter to Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary IV Krishna Rao, Sarma said he was pained and distressed at the way the Chief Minister, the Governor and the Ministers of AP have conducted themselves in the ongoing Godavari Pushkarams. “Had the CM and his family displayed even a semblance of sensitivity to the plight of the pilgrims, the tragedy in which more than 30 persons (including children) had lost their lives, would not have taken place,” he said.

Here is the letter written by Sarma to the chief secretary in full.

To

Shri I Y R Krishna Rao

Chief Secretary

Govt of AP

Dear Shri Krishna Rao,

Subject:- VIP menace in Godavari Pushkarams

I feel pained and distressed at the way the Chief Minister, the Governor and the Ministers of AP have conducted themselves in the ongoing Godavari Pushkarams. Had the CM and his family displayed even a semblance of sensitivity to the plight of the pilgrims, the tragedy in which more than 30 persons (including children) had lost their lives, would not have taken place.

The presence of even one VIP is sufficient to upset the security arrangements, the traffic and the utility services which otherwise would have been available to the million-odd pilgrims visiting Rajahmundry for the Pushkarams. What has been reported indicates that, despite the unpardonable happenings that led to one of the biggest stampedes in AP, self-styled VIPs continue to troop into Rajahmundry, accompanied by their families and entourage, as though the State exchequer is always there to meet their private expenses and the pilgrims should fend for themselves.

From what I understand, there are long queues of pilgrims lining up to as far as Tuni on the north and Eluru on the south, waiting to reach Rajahmundry and have a holy dip in the river. This is unprecedented. In the normal course, any responsible government would have banned the entry of any self-styled VIP unless he or she is prepared to stand in the queue, be treated like anyone else and go through the ordeal of taking part in the Pushkarams. Unfortunately, the present government does not appear to have any sense of responsibility whatsoever.

From the enclosed pictures, it appears that, despite the stampede that took place and the innocent lives lost, the Governor had chosen to visit Rajahmundry with his family and take a dip in a specially designated “VIP” ghat. In a democracy like ours, does it not evoke a sense of disgust to recognise a few as VIPs and permit them to occupy more public space than what is due to them, at the expense of the public? I understand that the governor, with a few of his family members, used a helicopter to fly to Rajahmundry for this visit. Who pays for such purely personal visits? The family members of the Governor are not public functionaries and they cannot get paid out of the public exchequer. There should be public accountability in such matters. The tax-payer of the State cannot be forced to pay for the VIPs to earn “punyam”for themselves! They should know that those that inconvenience the public may not be entitled to such punyam.

The role of the Governor in a State is well defined and limited. He or she cannot assume roles that are not intended in the Constitution.

I understand that there was even a high-level team from Singapore that visited Rajahmundry in the midst of this chaos. I am sure that the team's visit had further added to the travails of the pilgrims.

A time has come when VIPs who cause not only public inconvenience but also a threat to the public security are held fully responsible and brought to book.

I came across a very incisive coverage of the VIP menace on Times TV News Channel and you may like to see the same at the following link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=75&v=WlLD0kF7DfQ

The person who represented the AP government could not answer the straight questions posed by Mr. Arnab Goswami because there were evidently no answers whatsoever. He appeared to give the impression that the CM's presence at Visakhapatnam during the Hud Hud cyclone in October, 2014 was exemplary and helped speed up the relief operations. While it was commendable that the CM had chosen to lead the relief operations, what the CM perhaps did not know was that 90% the officialdom in Visakhapatnam was dancing attendance on him and not many officers could be seen in the slums that bore the impact of the cyclone. Many of them stayed at a 5-star hotel! Nine months after the cyclone, less than only 15% of the poor have received cyclone relief and the rest are waiting. One visit of the Prime Minister to Visakhapatnam post-Hud Hud caused so much of disturbance that food material meant for the victims got spoiled and the attention of the officials diverted.

I hope that the Governor, the CM and the Ministers, for once, get the message that, on such occasions, they should place the public interest above everything, including their egos, their urge to earn personal “punyam” and the eagerness to earn publicity and political mileage. They should bear in mind that they are a part of a democracy, not a zamindari.

I hope a day will come when India can get rid of its egregious VIP culture! There is no place for VIPs in a democracy.

I would request you to place this letter before the Governor and the CM in the hope that it will have some impact on how they view their respective roles on such occasions.

I hope that the judicial enquiry into the stampede will focus, not just on the police and the junior officials, but also on the role of the VIPs. 

Regards,

Yours sincerely,

E A S Sarma

Former Secretary to GOI

20-7-2015