Man Proposes, God disposes

The year 2011has started with a tragedy at pullumedu ,a valley near to sabarimala where 102 people were killed in a stampede. The pilgrims who were returning after the darshan of “makarajyothi” a climactic event in the ‘Makaravikakku’ season at the hill-top shrine were the victims of the accident. Who should we blame for this tragedy?. Should it be the state government, or the forest department, or the Kerala police, or the pilgrims who chose the simpler forest way to reach the sannidhanam. ?. An answer to these questions can never bring those 102 dead pilgrims alive.

The postmortem reports reveal that most of the people died with their heart and trachea pierced by their backbones which were crushed in the stampede. The reports show that there were more than 3000 vehicles in pullumedu when the tragedy happened. Top police officials say that there were no lighting facilities where the tragedy occurred and this increased the rate of death. Of the 102 people killed ,six of them were from kerala. It is very clear from this that most of the pilgrims who reach sabarimala were from the neighboring states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The state government’s announcement of giving compensation to the families of those who were killed and others who were displaced doesn’t mean that their duty is over. The opposition parties and the other regional parties are now arguing in full swing about the sabarimala master plan which is still even now only in paper. The Justice Chandrasekharan Nair report submitted eleven years before in the wake of the mishaps in 1999 put forward 14 suggestions for the development of Sabarimala. This included developments to be made in Vallakadavu, Sabarimala Sathram, Kozhikanam and at Pullumedu where the tragedy occurred now.

It was an inhuman treatment meted out to the pilgrims when they rushed to the temporary hotels at sabarimala for refuge fearing a stampede... The pilgrims said that most of them were beaten by the owners who wouldn’t allow them to get into these hotels when the crowd lost control because of the stampede. This gives the picture of how cruel and barbaric man can be. The death of those 102 pilgrims can be termed as fate as they lost their life after getting the darshan of lord Ayyapa. The pilgrims who lost their way in the stampede were stuck in the thick forest.

Pilgrims from various states reach sabarimala at a particular season known as “mandala kalam”. The government of Kerala has enough time to make arrangements for the sabarimala season as the temple will be closed rest of the time. The roads leading to sabarimala are also in a pathetic condition. The cold valley of pullumedu is virtually now the “valley of the death”.

The third major tragedy to strike Sabarimala pilgrims in the last fifty years after the cracker shed fire in 1952 and the 1999 stampede at Pampa has also raised questions on the use of undesignated forest paths to reach the Sannidhanam of the Ayyappa temple. The pilgrims from tamil nadu and other states were passing through The Periyar Tiger Reserve to reach the sannidhanam. This area is surrounded with dense forest where wild elephants are common. Danger is imminent and death can occur at any time. A responsible government should act immediately to prevent further accidents and not shy away from their responsibilities by slinging mud on others. and forgetting their duty..