CM Naidu orders probe into Simhachalam temple wall collapse

Amaravati, April 30 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced an inquiry by a three-member committee into the wall collapse at Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Simhachalam in Visakhapatnam, which resulted in the death of eight devotees.

Four others were also injured in the incident that occurred in the early hours of the day when devotees were lined up to buy tickets for darshan during the annual festival, Chandanotsavam.

The Chief Minister, who expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, also announced Rs 25 lakh each as ex gratia to the families of the deceased. He also promised employment to one member from each family on an outsourcing basis in the temples under the purview of the Endowments Department.

Similarly, Rs 3 lakh will be paid as assistance to those who are injured, the Chief Minister said and assured the affected families that the State government will certainly stand by them.

CM Chandrababu Naidu said it was really painful that when a large number of devotees had gathered to see the Nijarupam (true form of the Lord) on Wednesday, a wall collapsed in the queue due to heavy rain at midnight, causing the deaths of devotees.

Soon after learning about the incident, CM Naidu had a teleconference with the Ministers Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Vangalapudi Anitha and Anagani Satya Prasad, MP Bharat, and the trustee of the Simhachalam temple, Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

He enquired about the details of the incident and the medical assistance being provided to the injured. He directed the officials to provide emergency medical services to the injured.

The CM also ordered that the debris be removed immediately so that no inconvenience is caused to the devotees.

As thousands of devotees are likely to gather for the darshan of the Lord, the Chief Minister directed the officials to take necessary safety measures to ensure that the devotees do not face inconvenience or do not panic.

--IANS

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