(Visakeo, 10/8/06) Years of inefficient management, unrealistic approach, failure to take on-the-spot decisions at the time of crisis, lack of foresightedness of the officers who are non conversant with the temple rules, non adherence to the scheduled programmes for niti or rituals on Friday and Saturday mornings-- all these had a cumulative effect on the sorrowful incident of stampede which recently took away four innocent lives, sources said.
It is further understood as directed by the chief administrator, office orders were issued on October 30 detailing the time schedule of Sri Mandir rituals on those Panchuka days when lakhs of visitors were expected to come to the temple like previous years.
Still, the most routinely conducted rituals including special Vesha (Ceremonial dressing) days with visitors performing month long havishya with daily rush of lakhs of people from different places without any disturbances, collapsed on the fateful day which is now a commonly admitted fact, "It was due to mismanagement and could have been avoided.
"The temple chief administrator minced matters on the first day saying that the cause of the incident was unscheduled closure of inside doors of Sri Mandir (Pahuda Niti) on Friday night. And after coming back to his office he changed his statement and said that the reason of the chaos was breaking of fire from a deepa near Mangal Mandir.
However calling an urgent meeting of the Managing Committee of Sri Mandir by the Puri Gajapati, Dibya Singh Deo and immediate formation of a 11 member Fact Finding Committee in the matter has created fear among all erring officials including officers of both civil and police administration and employees of Sri Mandir as more and more eye witnesses are coming up each new day to submit written statements regarding the incident and of course, blaming it mostly on administration failure.
It is understood that hundreds of petitions have been filed before the administration and the petitioners are ready to appear on November 10 to give witness. Interestingly, the in-house enquiry as being called Fact finding Committee has included all administrative officers including the chief administrator in the purview of the enquiry, which has been welcomed by the common people.
Further added to this, the Sankaracharya of Puri Nischalanda Saraswati has said this has happened due to failure of administration, which did not try to learn any lesson from a similar incident in 1993 Nagarjun Vesha of Sri Jagannath.
This has disturbed the peace of all erring officers who were not present inside Sri Mandir on the day. The entire responsibility was left on the shoulders of a few lower grade police officials, constables and JTPs including newly recruited JTS forces with no coordination among them.
It is being alleged the Fact Finding Committee members have been pressurised to submit their reports in favour of the administration and the Government is presently sitting over the file to appoint a sitting High Court Judge as one man enquiry commission waiting till the submission of committee's report.
It appears this time people have raised to the occasion and erring officials will not be spared. One of the petitioners who is appearing before enquiry on Friday said, the Government should also review the existence of such huge administrative set up of Sri Mandir administration flooded with white collared officers and employees who believe more in file works in Government offices rather than devoting themselves to the service of the Jagannath Temple.
It is further understood as directed by the chief administrator, office orders were issued on October 30 detailing the time schedule of Sri Mandir rituals on those Panchuka days when lakhs of visitors were expected to come to the temple like previous years.
Still, the most routinely conducted rituals including special Vesha (Ceremonial dressing) days with visitors performing month long havishya with daily rush of lakhs of people from different places without any disturbances, collapsed on the fateful day which is now a commonly admitted fact, "It was due to mismanagement and could have been avoided.
"The temple chief administrator minced matters on the first day saying that the cause of the incident was unscheduled closure of inside doors of Sri Mandir (Pahuda Niti) on Friday night. And after coming back to his office he changed his statement and said that the reason of the chaos was breaking of fire from a deepa near Mangal Mandir.
However calling an urgent meeting of the Managing Committee of Sri Mandir by the Puri Gajapati, Dibya Singh Deo and immediate formation of a 11 member Fact Finding Committee in the matter has created fear among all erring officials including officers of both civil and police administration and employees of Sri Mandir as more and more eye witnesses are coming up each new day to submit written statements regarding the incident and of course, blaming it mostly on administration failure.
It is understood that hundreds of petitions have been filed before the administration and the petitioners are ready to appear on November 10 to give witness. Interestingly, the in-house enquiry as being called Fact finding Committee has included all administrative officers including the chief administrator in the purview of the enquiry, which has been welcomed by the common people.
Further added to this, the Sankaracharya of Puri Nischalanda Saraswati has said this has happened due to failure of administration, which did not try to learn any lesson from a similar incident in 1993 Nagarjun Vesha of Sri Jagannath.
This has disturbed the peace of all erring officers who were not present inside Sri Mandir on the day. The entire responsibility was left on the shoulders of a few lower grade police officials, constables and JTPs including newly recruited JTS forces with no coordination among them.
It is being alleged the Fact Finding Committee members have been pressurised to submit their reports in favour of the administration and the Government is presently sitting over the file to appoint a sitting High Court Judge as one man enquiry commission waiting till the submission of committee's report.
It appears this time people have raised to the occasion and erring officials will not be spared. One of the petitioners who is appearing before enquiry on Friday said, the Government should also review the existence of such huge administrative set up of Sri Mandir administration flooded with white collared officers and employees who believe more in file works in Government offices rather than devoting themselves to the service of the Jagannath Temple.
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