Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], April 30 (ANI): Eight pilgrims tragically lost their lives when a 20-foot-long stretch collapsed at the Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Visakhapatnam during the Chandanotsavam festival. The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.
Family members of the victims were visibly distressed and broke down in tears as they gathered outside King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, demanding justice for their loved ones.
Jogarao, a relative of the deceased Uma Maheswarao family, stated that a newly constructed wall was to blame for the tragedy. The collapse resulted in the loss of four lives from the same family, including both parents, who were IT technicians. Jogarao expressed anger over the wall’s construction without proper structural support, asking, “How can a wall constructed without a pillar support?” He further demanded accountability from the contractor and engineer involved, as well as financial compensation and government employment for the surviving family members. “We are demanding justice for the family. The government should announce one crore ex gratia and a government job for the family members. Without this, we will not allow the postmortem of the deceased bodies,” Jogarao stated.
Another relative echoed similar sentiments, asserting the need for an investigation into the poor construction of the wall and calling for action against the responsible officials. “Four members of my family lost their lives at the same time. Who will take responsibility for our family? The government should provide us with one government job and ex gratia,” the relative said.
CPIM leader B. Ganga Rao condemned the government’s negligence in the incident. He claimed that the contractor responsible for the wall was affiliated with the TDP-Jana Sena government and questioned the involvement of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. He also criticized the government’s compensation, calling it inadequate. “The contractor who built this wall belongs to the TDP-Jana Sena government. I am questioning Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan. Their government has announced a meager compensation of Rs 25 lakh per deceased. We strongly demand that the government increase this to at least Rs 1 crore and provide permanent employment to the families of the deceased,” Ganga Rao added.
TDP National Spokesperson Prem Kumar Jain addressed the incident, emphasizing that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had instructed authorities to provide emergency treatment to the injured. He confirmed that the families of the deceased would receive Rs 25 lakh each as ex gratia, and the injured would receive Rs 3 lakh each.
The tragic event has sparked widespread outrage, with the families of the victims demanding justice, accountability, and adequate compensation from the state government.
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