Lies, damn lies and hubris characterise the conduct of theUP government after the tragedy at the kumbh in Allahabad. The moment theadministration learnt of the stampede at the railway station (which claimed 36lives) and another at the kumbh site, they resorted to lies.
“The railway station is not our domain,” claimed UP ministerfor urban development Mohammad Azam Khan, who was de-facto in charge of thekumbh mela administration. In making this claim, he was only technicallycorrect “ as much correct as Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao was in his defencewhen the Babri mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992. Like Rao, Khanconveniently forgot to mention the fact that the management of the mela, itstraffic and co-ordination is the sole responsibility of the state government.
In fact, a letter from his department, which is the nodalagency in the administration of the Kumbh congregation, has clearly stated thatthe responsibility of the traffic management lies squarely with the inspectorgeneral of police (Allahabad zone). The IG is appointed the chairman of acommittee which has among its members all senior railway officials up to thelevel of divisional railway managers (DRMs) and even the air commodore of theBamrauli air base which is in Allahabad.
The primary task of this committee is to ensure the smoothtraffic flow, not only from the mela area but also from the railway station andbus terminus, so that the large numbers of kumbh visitors do not congest thecity beyond a point. A senior level police officer is routinely posted at therailway station during the kumbh mela to take on-the-spot decisions and deployforces to maintain order.
Of course, an administration which is too busy facilitatingholy dips for big-time industrialists, cine stars and politicians is onlyexpected to care two hoots about traffic management. Obviously, the efficiencyof the administration is expected to be judged by the arrangements for theVVIPs and not by casualties of hoi polloi at the railway station or the kumbhsite.
This casual approach was reflected in the manner in which achopper was allowed to fly over the mela zone to have an aerial view of thedevotees “ though the area is declared a no-fly zone. This incident reflectedsubversive collaboration among various agencies entrusted to govern the mela.Of course, in Allahabad, no chopper could have flown without the permission ofthe air force. But the air force is maintaining a stoic silence for obviousreasons. There might have been a VVIP or his kin on board that chopper.
Perhaps those aware of the kumbh arrangements in Allahabadhad a premonition long back that the mega event this time was destined for atragedy. Politicians and officials were too casual till the last moment aboutthe minute details that go into administrative arrangements. Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav was literally goaded to visit Allahabad by a section ofofficials who were genuinely alarmed by the cavalier manner in which the wholematter was dealt with.
By all accounts, the tragedy at the kumbh was waiting tohappen. And it would be naïve to believe that those in the government rangingfrom the chief minister to officials posted on mela duty were oblivious ofthis. But they expected that their human follies would be ignored byprovidence, as the Mauni Amavasya dip at the kumbh coincides with a propitiousalignment of planets. However, gods failed them. This is why Akhilesh Yadav isbusy attending weddings at Etawah instead of sharing the sorrows of haplesspeople who can be easily beguiled into voting for him in the next election.
