At least 111 people have died and more than 380 were injured in a massive fire near the Puttingal temple in Kerala. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to Kollam district to express grief over the horrific tragedy. A team of 15 burn specialists had accompanied him. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi too, visited the spot — located 60 km from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Sparks fell on storeroom, exploding crackers stocked there. Officials had denied permission for competitive fireworks display; several buildings in vicinity of temple were damaged. Dead persons cannot return back, and this is not the first time that the tragedy happened in any religious place.
Ironically, precious lives have been lost and this time, spiritual and mental darkness has crept in to so many families. Safety should be given priority before giving permission for bursting crackers, particularly in crowded places like temples, party/political meetings, marriages etc. Also storage should not be allowed inside the premises. Religious heads should also involve themselves to prohibit rituals which endanger human lives. Proper diversion of crowd should be ensured. In north, people celebrate Dussehra with idols of Raavan, Kumbhakarna, Indrajit stuffed with crackers of all sorts which goes in different directions. Safety distance should also be specified. It is really unfortunate to lose so many lives.
In olden days, the means of communication was lacking and to inform the people around that place about the starting of the festivals crackers used to be burst as sign of beginning the event. Now with all TV channels covering live footage of the festivals, there is no need for crackers which cause pollution. We have grown with the time, now there are facilities and modern ways to enjoy life. However, still some things have not changed yet, which causes threat to human lives. Though the lives lost cannot be brought back, it should be a lesson not to play with and/ be callous with fire in any way and ascribe reasons for doing so.
It is an unfortunate event in the history of Kerala. The Government should think about banning the burning of crackers in the large public areas. Especially in the temple functions, it should be banned at any cost. Tradition and culture are not above the human lives. The temples in South India are always enacting fireworks during their Pooram festivals without much thought of the safety of the people watching the entrancing display. Actually, this display was in violation of the District Collector’s instructions. The police officials too were against this dangerous display. However, the temple officials disobeyed and conducted the fireworks with the agreement of the devotees. So, this tragedy occurred with the loss of many lives and serious injuries to many people. Temple is place for serenity. It is a place for bhajans-it is a place for meditation-it is a place for spiritual discourses-it is a place for inculcating moral and ethical values. Where is the scope for bursting fire crackers? Temples are places of worship not a place for display of grandeur. The clergy must show guidance to the masses but not guide them to frenzy display. The temple authorities in the entire country should take care not to repeat such mistakes.
After tragedy, the maximum what the state government can do is announcing a judicial inquiry and pay some compensation but time and again if this happens, they should strictly pass some guidelines too for averting fire accidents. Eyewitnesses said the disaster struck when a cracker meant to explode in the air fell to the ground, sending sparks flying in all directions. The sparks reached the storehouse, igniting fireworks stored there. The explosion that followed brought down a building and caused damage to several structures in the vicinity. The explosion was followed by power disruption, which left the crowd clueless about the magnitude of the tragedy for some time. However, the locals swung into action, extricating bodies from the debris and pulling out the injured, many of whom did not survive the journey to hospitals.
While the majority were admitted to the general hospital and private hospitals in Kollam city, 12 of the injured were rushed to the Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital and to some private hospitals in the capital. The Kollam district administration had denied permission for the fireworks display based on reports from the local police that the temple authorities planned to hold a competitive pyrotechnics display. However, the temple authorities went ahead with the display after giving much publicity to the event. People from neighbouring districts had converged on the temple to witness the show.
People need to realise, God doesn’t require fire crackers or lavishes, it needs your sincere prayers, silence, joy and happiness. No God ever wants people to shed their lives in his holy premises. If you care for God then care for fellow humans too.
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