The inefficiency of the government is evident to the public through its poor administration. The tragedy at the Chennai Marina Air Show grabbed five lives clearly shows that the government has not yet learned any lessons from the A.R. Rahman concert incident. Would this tragedy have happened if the Chief Minister had taken action when his convoy was stuck at that concert?
To tackle that situation, the administration filed a case against the event managers. But now, who will the government hold accountable for this tragedy? More than 200 people fainted, and around 100 individuals were sent to nearby government hospitals. According to Minister Ma. Subramanian, he claimed that the five deaths were due to heat strokes, but he failed to mention why people were standing under the scorching sun in the first place. His claims about the preparations being more than sufficient were contradicted by the ground reality.
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| Severe Traffic Snarls at Chintadripet Picture Courtesy: Harish Mahadevan |
The mismanagement of the crowd and poor directions for transportation added to the chaos. Despite the coordination of many departments, none were capable of controlling the situation. However, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced a solatium of ₹5 lakh each to the families of those who died. The government is trying to control the damage by announcing compensations, but it fails to understand that people need competent administration, not just compensations.
Although the government had some preparations, the facilities were not sufficient for the large crowd. The tragedy could have been mitigated by providing adequate facilities based on the expected number of visitors. Moreover, installing large LED screens might have reduced the budging of crowd. Coordination between departments is crucial for such events, but this remains a lacking point for the government.
The entire administration focused on achieving a record in the Limca Book of Records rather than the lives of its people.