While stampedes and mishaps due to overcrowding have led to loss of lives on multiple occasions, it remains an issue discussed only when there is a tragedy. Recently you were assigned the responsibility of conducting a mela around a revered religious place, which attracts millions of devotees. Every year the numbers have been increasing and this year due to certain celestial alignments the crowd is expected to be unprecedented. In the previous year the officer in charge was criticised and transferred over allegations of hurting religious sensitivities by restricting access to the religious place. You have three months to prepare for the mela. (a) Identify the key areas you would focus on? (b) What are the challenges that you foresee? (c) How do you propose to overcome them?

a) The key areas to be focused upon -

1. Security of the people and the religious place
2. Balancing Organised, yet unrestricted access to the place
3. Crowd management
4. Infrastructure like roads, bridges etc
5. Respecting religious sentiments of the devotees

b)

• challenges
  • Paucity of time to prepare
  • Assessing the current state of the infra at place
  • Arranging for required staff to manage the event
  • Political interference and media exposure
  • Balancing the religious sentiments with the security of lives

c) Plan of Action

1. I will first look into the previous records and how it has been conducted. Then I would assess the current state of the place.
2. Conduct a full gap analysis and vulnerability mapping of the sensitive infra and potential places of stampede/mishaps.
3. Identify the requirements - technical and personnel - and arrange for the same.
4. Organise the main access route by barricading, employing speakers, and upgrading the road/bridge etc.
5. Ensure provision for first-aid at the venue itself.
6. Enlist the help of local volunteers and crowd management agencies
7. Ensure that all staff are inter-connected by walky-talkies, and in case of any mishap, immediate response teams can be deployed
8. Enlist help of NDRF and their crowd management practices