Will take steps to prevent drowning during temple rituals: Sekar Babu

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department Minister P K Sekar Babu on Thursday assured that appropriate steps would be taken to prevent drowning during temple Theerthavari rituals, and called upon trusts conducting such events to inform the government in advance.

Expressing heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of five youngsters who drowned during the Theerthavari, as part of the annual festival, at a pond in Nanganallur here on Wednesday, the Minister said Chief Minister M K Stalin would reach out to the affected families.

Responding to a special Call Attention Motion moved by Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami of the AIADMK, and other members in the Assembly, Babu said the pond in Moovarasanpet where the tragedy took place belonged to the panchayat and not to the temple. The trust managing the Dharmalingeshwarar temple in Nanganallur had not sought permission from the HR & CE department to conduct the ritual.

The Theerthavari has been held annually for the last 4-5 years and yesterday morning when the temple priests brought the idols of gods for a dip in the pond, five youngsters, who accompanied the priests for the ritual, drowned, he said.

The youth -- Raghavan, Surya, Raghava, Vinesh and Yogeswaran -- all belong to the ages of 18 to 22.

The dreams of the parents of the youth were shattered along with their sad demise, he said. "It is their sorrowful end that made the legislators raise the issue and seek enhanced compensation for the affected families," Babu said.

Immediately after the tragedy, Chief Minister Staling had sought an explanation from him as to why the tank had not been desilted and renovated for the Theerthavari rituals, the Minister said. The trust that conducted the rituals had not informed his department, Babu added.

The Chief Minister had also immediately announced Rs 2 lakh as relief to each bereaved family and directed Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister T M Anbarasan to visit and console them.

Expressing condolences on behalf of the Chief Minister, Babu said Stalin would come forward to meet the demands of the affected families, and had also directed the HR & CE department to ensure such regrettable incidents don't recur, he said.

On the demand for enhanced compensation, as sought by the members of the Assembly, the Minister replied that the government was following norms in announcing the relief, as had been done in the past.