Andhra govt's 'negligence' led to Simhachalam wall collapse mishap: YSRCP chief Jagan

YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday said that the government's "negligence and recklessness" led to the Simhachalam wall collapse disaster and demanded an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each for the seven deceased victims.

Seven people were crushed to death in the early hours of the day when a rain-soaked wall collapsed at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple (Simhachalam temple) in Visakhapatnam.

"Severe action must be taken against those responsible for the mishap, and Rs 1 crore ex gratia should be given to the families of the deceased," Reddy told reporters after meeting the victims’ kin.

He urged the government to match the Rs 1 crore compensation paid to the victims of the LG Polymers gas leak in 2020 during the previous YSRCP regime. If the state fails to pay the amount, Reddy said he would cover the balance after returning to power.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced Rs 25 lakh compensation for each of the deceased and Rs 3 lakh for the injured.

After consoling the bereaved families, Reddy alleged that the collapsed wall was constructed without following proper procedures—"It was started only six days ago and completed two days ago," he claimed.

Calling it a hurried job, Reddy said the wall was not made of Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC). Despite heavy rains, devotees were asked to queue along it, showing the government’s negligence, he alleged.

Despite knowing that Chandanotsavam is a calendar event at the temple and that lakhs of devotees would attend, Reddy said the authorities "failed" to take proper measures and allowed devotees to queue up at the ten-foot-high wall without providing any facilities.

According to the YSRCP chief, 'ill-fated' incidents such as the Simhachalam wall collapse and the Tirupati temple stampede in January have occurred under the N Chandrababu Naidu-led NDA government.

Recalling the death of 29 devotees during the Godavari Pushkaralu pilgrimage in the previous TDP regime (2014-2019), Reddy emphasised that this legacy of disasters continues due to the government’s "sheer negligence".

He further claimed that several cows had died at a Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) goshala (cow shelter) recently. He also pointed out the deaths of tortoises of religious significance at Srikurmam and the bulldozing of the Kasinayana ashram in Kadapa.

"Chandrababu Naidu is in the habit of forming committees whenever such incidents occur, but the whereabouts of their reports are never known," he alleged, citing the fate of the Tirupati laddu ghee controversy.