Panaji: The state’s opposition, Goa Forward Party, on Saturday demanded that the Pramod Sawant-led government release an ex-gratia payment of Rs one crore for each of the deceased who lost their lives in the North Goa temple stampede.
Six people have died and several others were injured in a stampede during the Sree Devi Lairai Temple festival at Shirgao village in North Goa at 3 am on Saturday.
GFP President Vijai Sardesai, in a statement released here, said that the unprecedented event at the famous Lairai festival has shocked everyone, especially since the previous day the media had reported that the administration had deployed 1,000 police officers and drones to oversee the celebrations.
“Now, when this incident occurred, with 1,000 police officers on duty, the first question that comes to mind is that it is important to fix the blame,” he said.
Sardesai accused the state government of being involved “only in photo ops and managing public perception and its image.”
“The government is not at all involved in any serious governance. Therefore, I demand that this government immediately declare an ex-gratia payment of one crore rupees per head for those who lost their lives, and a respectable amount for those who are fighting for their lives in different government hospitals,” he said.
Sardesai said that this entire incident is a case of failure of the local administration. “Actually, the police have failed. Emergency health services have also failed. I should be demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister and Health Minister, but I am not doing that because I don’t expect them to resign,” he said.
Sardesai said that he expects them to fix the blame.
Pointing to the inquiry by the Superintendent of Police into the incident as ordered by the Chief Minister, Sardesai said that the SP should have been blamed and taken to task.
“The administration should be conducting the inquiry, and the police should be taken to task,” he said.
