UP to have SOPs for large gatherings to prevent repeat of Hathras-like tragedies, says minister
Hathras (UP) (PTI): A day after a stampede in Hathras claimed 121 lives, Uttar Pradesh minister Asim Arun on Wednesday said the state government has started work on SOPs for granting permission for large gatherings to prevent such incidents in future.
He said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed officials to prepare the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and permission for events would be granted only if the "basic, minimum" conditions for amenities are met.
Arun, the minister of state for social welfare, is part of a three-minister committee formed by Adityanath for supervising the relief measures in the aftermath of the stampede.
Explaining how the tragedy unfolded, he said, "It appears sevadars (volunteers) who were managing things inside did something wrong in terms of crowd management and that is another lesson learnt."
"We should not leave it to sevadars or volunteers. They do a great job, of course, but the police and magistrates are more experienced," he said.
So, the chief minister has decided that the state will have a more detailed SOP now for any such gathering, whether it has 1,000 or one lakh people, the minister told PTI.
"It's not just this, it's about civic amenities as well, like how many toilets are required for 80,000 people or how many water tankers should be there and how many escape points should be there," Arun said.
"So, he (CM) has instructed us to make a detailed SOP and all future permissions would be granted only if these amenities are taken care of either by the organisers themselves or by a government agency," he added.
On the negligence on the part of organisers of the Tuesday's satsang, the minister said there were quite a few.
"There was inadequate space for parking and hence a large number of buses were parked on the national highway.
"There should be multiple entry and exit routes and I believe they were only two routes as far as I have seen. So, the organisers could certainly have done better," he said.
He said if it was a smaller gathering or if it was pleasant weather, maybe it would have worked. But yesterday was a sultry day and later it rained.
"I think multiple factors were at play there. We have to improve our processes," he said.
"Whether the government is organising an event or a private person is organising an event, our SOP will be very clear on what kind of basic minimum standards have to be met for us to permit any such events to take place," he added.
In the wake of the stampede, the Hathras police have lodged an FIR in which organisers of the event have been mentioned as accused.
The FIR as well as a preliminary report sent by the sub-divisional magistrate to the district magistrate also mentioned that the crowd swelled at the venue to over 2.50 lakh, much more than the permitted limit of 80,000.
Earlier on Wednesday, Adityanath visited Hathras and met the injured and families of some of the deceased. He also order an inquiry into the matter by a judicial commission headed by a retired high court judge.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Riyan Parag debuts as first Assam cricketer in national team
Guwahati, Jul 6: All-rounder Riyan Parag became the first cricketer from Assam to play for the national team at the senior level as he made his debut against Zimbabwe in a T-20 tie at Harare on Saturday.
“A son's dream takes flight, and a father's heart swells with pride! Riyan Parag, you've made Assam proud! And what makes it even more special is receiving his Cap from the person who inspired him the most - his father!,” Assam Cricket Association posted on X, congratulating the young player.
Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal termed it a historic day for the state.
“Our very own @ParagRiyan makes his debut in the Indian Cricket Team as he plays his first T20I match for #TeamIndia against Zimbabwe at Harare,” he wrote on the micro-blogging site.
“#RiyanParag becomes the first Assamese male cricketer to play for India. Proud moment; may be reach the pinnacle of sporting glory,” the former Assam CM added.
The 22-year-old, who did not bowl in his first international match, failed to impress with the bat, being caught out for 2 runs off 3 balls in the fifth over as India chased Zimbabwe’s score of 115 runs.
Zimbabwe pulled off an upset of massive proportions when they stunned the Indian team brimming with an array of Next-Gen stars by 13 runs in the first T20I of the five-match series here on Saturday.
Riyan, who was a part of the Indian Under-19 team that won the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, was named in the Indian national squad for the Zimbabwe tour last month.
He has been representing Assam in domestic cricket since 2017 and has been a member of the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League since 2018.
Another cricketer from the state, Uma Chetry, had been earlier named in the Indian women's team but is yet to make her international debut.
