Sushma Swaraj visits stampede site; promises to raise issue in Lok Sabha

Alleging that lapses on the part of Kerala government were mainly responsible for the stampede that killed 102 Ayyappa pilgrims on Friday last, opposition leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj today said BJP would raise the issue in Parliament.

Visiting the stampede spot Pullumedu and nearby Kumili town she told reproters that this was a tragedy that could have been avoided if the government and other agencies concerned did not neglect the report of 1999 tragedy at Pampa.

The recommendations of the judicial commission that probed the 1999 stampede which claimed 52 lives at Pamapa had made several significant recommendations to improve the safety anf corwd control of the pilgrimage. But these had been put on the cold storage, she said.

Swaraj said what required now were not mere investigations and inquiries, but concerete steps to avoid such mishaps in future.

She also said her party would actively support the demand for declaration of Sabarimala as a National Pilgrime Centre, which would ensure the Union government's involvement in developing facilities for the hillshrine.