Fatal leap of faith into Yamuna

No government agency is willing to own responsibility for what happened on September 18, when at least 21 Ganesha devotees were washed away in the Yamuna. Almost all the drownings took place at Sur Ghat in north Delhi’s Wazirabad during the idol immersion ceremonies.

The apathy of the city government and other agencies responsible for giving clearance to such gatherings towards human life, and their unprofessional style of functioning, are exposed by the fact that no effective arrangements were put in place to avert a disaster. This, despite the fact that seven persons had drowned in the Yamuna during Ganesha  immersion last year too.

The authorities had failed to learn lessons and the loss of human life trebled this time. Now, while some agencies are simply passing on the buck, others claim they had made all possible preparations but the crowd swelled unexpectedly beyond control.

Top officials in Delhi government's revenue department, which also has Delhi Disaster Management Authority under its jurisdiction, are washing their hands of any responsibility.

“The revenue department has no role in Ganesha and Durga idol immersion ceremonies. It is Delhi Police that give permission for such gatherings. We provide logistics like lifeboats and professional divers if police seek them, but crowd management is the responsibility of police. No prior information was passed to the department by police about the number of people expected to gather for immersion,” says Principal Secretary (Revenue) Dharam Pal.  

Revenue department officials say they coordinate preparations related to only four festivals — Urs, the movement of Kanwariyas, Mansarowar Yatra and Chhat. During other religious gatherings, the buck stops with Delhi Police.

Dharam Pal says handling the other festivals is a Delhi Police job, “right from giving clearance for such gatherings to crowd management to barricading the banks and earmarking danger limits in the river.”

Police and Delhi Fire Service, meanwhile, maintain that they had put in place all necessary arrangements, but it was the “unexpected large crowd” that gathered on the river bank that knocked down their plans.

According to Sindhu Pillai, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), some 50 police officers were deployed and proper barricading was done around Sur Ghat. Security personnel at the ghat were instructed to control the crowd using lights and loudspeakers. Roads leading to the ghat were also barricaded and only vehicles of devotees carrying idols were allowed to proceed to the ghat.

“But the situation went out of control as there was no restriction on the number of people performing the immersions,” says Pillai.

She says the crowd this year was more than what was seen in the festival in the past few years.

When drownings were noticed or reported, police say rescue operations were launched with the help of professional divers. The fire department says several drowning persons were rescued, while the bodies of missing ones were fished out from the river.

While police failed to make adequate arrangements, and by their own admission failed to assess the number of devotees turning up for the ceremony, they blame the victims themselves. Most of the victims, they  say, were in an inebriated condition.

“Large groups did not listen to instructions announced on loudspeakers, which led to the maximum number of deaths,” says Pillai.

The revenue department claims it provided some 30 professional divers and a dozen boats for the rescue operation. But police say the request for more boats and volunteers was sent to civic authorities days in advance, but they failed to provide enough support.

Annual affair

Even as civic agencies continue to deflect responsibility, people in villages by the bank of the Yamuna say drowning deaths during idol immersion is a regular feature and happens every year.

Kamla Devi, a resident of east Delhi’s Mandawali, has been visiting the Yamuna ghat near ITO for over 40 years. She says there has not been a single year when she hasn't heard about devotees being swept away in the river. Whenever she wishes to take a dip in the river, she proceeds only when accompanied by a male member of her family.

“It gets extremely dangerous at the ghat during festivals due to overcrowding and lack of security measures taken by the government,” she says.

The 52-year-old visited the ghat on September 18. She claims she heard cries of people drowning in the river. The casualties will multiply every year in the absence of any crowd and disaster management measures by government agencies, and if locals do not pitch in as divers to rescue people, she adds.

According to locals, one of the important reasons behind the deaths is lack of adequate number of ghats with proper steps that provide a safe approach to the river. Barring a few, the ghats are slippery. The rapid flow of water in the absence of safety barriers aggravates the problem.

While drowning incidents are an annual affair, it seems the recent loss of 21 lives may have  finally jolted the city government. Delhi Revenue Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely says a report on the tragedy has been sought from the concerned agencies and they are now mulling over coordinating the preparations related to Ganesha and Durga Puja immersion ceremonies – just as they do for the other four festivals.

“As far as the latest information I have, the department has received the report on the incident. But I cannot comment on the content as I haven’t read it yet. But starting next year, we plan to engage the department in coordinating preparations for such gatherings as well,” says Lovely.

With Durga Puja and Chhat – festivals which involve riverside rituals – just round the corner, the authorities claim all preparations will be put in place to avert a repeat of the Sur Ghat tragedy.

“Like every year, a special committee is formed to look after the preparations for Chhat. A team headed by the DC (North) is coordinating with Chhat puja samitis. They have already started consultations with the agencies concerned for crowd and disaster management arrangements on the river bank,” says Dharam Pal.

A senior Delhi government officer says one of the basic reasons behind the tragedy is the  lack of official data about the number of pandals and samitis involved in Ganesh Puja in the city.

“Unlike Chhat and Durga Puja, there are no registered samitis holding Ganesha Puja. Lack of data is a big hurdle in institutionalising crowd management on such occasions,” says the officer.

Officials argue that such tragic incidents are unlikely to happen in the upcoming festivals also due to low water levels in the Yamuna.

“The water level was 200 metres when the incident happened. But it is receding now. By the time Chhat arrives, the water level is so low that extra water is released into the river from the barrage to ensure a minimum amount for devotees,” says Dharam Pal.  

Certain sections in the government vouch for near-perfect arrangements for Chhat. The reason: Poorvanchalis, the people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh who celebrate Chhat, are a vote bank for all political parties. The entire political brass of the city will be at the banks to woo them.