Centre ready to frame SOPs for public gatherings, assures Nirmala
Nirmala Sitharaman made this assurance after meeting people who are undergoing treatment at the Karur Government Medical College Hospital, during a visit alongside Cabinet colleague L Murugan;
FM Nirmala Sitharaman visited the families of the victims of Karur tragedy
CHENNAI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday assured that the Union government has no hesitation in establishing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the better management of public gatherings across the country, after visiting Karur, reeling under grief over the stampede tragedy.
Nirmala Sitharaman made this assurance after meeting people who are undergoing treatment at the Karur Government Medical College Hospital, during a visit alongside Cabinet colleague L Murugan. She also visited the stampede spot at Velusamy Puram and the bereaved families. “I found no words to express after visiting the families who lost their dear ones and the earning members,” she told the reporters.
The minister added that the central government doesn’t shy away from framing a set of standard operating procedures to avoid recurrence of such tragedies. Such a move would help in better management of public gatherings, she said. “Whatever I heard from here, I would convey to the Prime Minister,” she said.
The Finance Minister stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are not in a position to visit Karur, despite being willing to travel. “So, they deputed me to console the families personally,” she said, adding that the doctors updated her on how proper medical care is extended and added that the patients, too, acknowledged it.
Meanwhile, the minister said that the Union government has sanctioned Rs 2 lakh solatium to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. “The fund would be transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the respective accounts within a couple of days, and the district Collector would oversee the process,” the minister said.
Nirmala Sitharaman recalled the stories narrated by survivors, noting that they were standing in the open without food or water since 12 noon on the day of the stampede. “Some said they were trapped among the crowd along with their children, terming that it wasn’t possible to get out of the crowd,” she said.