Panaji, May 13 – Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has termed the Shirgaon stampede, which claimed 6 lives during the Lairai zatra, an “eye-opener” and announced a series of crowd management reforms for future religious festivals in the state. In a press briefing, the CM admitted that the tragedy was caused due to overcrowding, narrow roads, steep slopes, and a clear lack of effective planning and coordination. “The temple committee did not cooperate with the administration, while the panchayat gave NoCs without proper inspection. There was no strategic deployment of police or crowd control measures. Enforcement of safety measures was not done by District administration. It was a collective failure,” he said.
▪️ Show cause notices to erring officers soon
Show cause notices will be issued to officers found responsible, he added. The CM also said a police investigation is underway and stressed that strict action will follow where negligence is proven.
▪️ Crowd management plans to be made mandatory for all religious festivals
Going forward, all religious events will require a crowd management plan approved under disaster management norms. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be notified under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), by taking temple committees into confidence. Nodal officers will be appointed to handle various permissions.
▪️ Widened pathway with entry only for dhonds, staggered access proposed
The CM also said a dedicated and widened pathway will be created for dhonds and their entry will be regulated in a staggered manner. Slope areas will be cut to improve access.
