Alleging that lapses on the part of Kerala government were mainly responsible for the stampede that killed 102 Ayyappa pilgrims last Friday, Opposition leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said the BJP would raise the issue in parliament.
Visiting the site of the stampede, Pullumedu, and nearby Kumily town she told reporters that the tragedy could have been avoided if the government and other agencies concerned did not neglect the report of 1999 tragedy at Pampa.
The judicial commission that probed the 1999 stampede which claimed 52 lives at Pamapa had made several significant recommendations to improve the safety and crowd control of the pilgrimage. But these had been put on the cold storage, she said.
Ms Swraj said that what was required now were not mere investigations and inquiries, but concrete steps to avoid such mishaps in future. She also said her party would actively support the demand for declaration of Sabarimala as a National Pilgrim Centre, which would ensure the Union Government’s involvement in developing facilities for the hill shrine.
