03-05-2025
There's no permission for building wall at Simhachalam save for oral instructions
Visakhapatnam: Recommendations will be made to the state government to ensure that incidents like Simhachalam wall collapse should not be repeated in future, emphasised Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar.
Stating that the preliminary report of Simhachalam incident came to a close, the committee member said that the report will be submitted to the state government on Saturday.
Sharing details with the media, Suresh Kumar underlined that there was no permission for the wall that was built in a hurry to facilitate queue line for Chandanotsavam.
The wall was built based on oral instructions. The evidence for the preliminary report has been collected. There is a need to carry out the inquiry with state-level officials, the committee member said.
He said apart from tourism and endowments department officials, priests of Simhachalam were also being probed and a detailed report will be readied in a month's time. The committee members further said that opinions will also be taken from the public and a detailed enquiry will be carried out.
Suresh Kumar said the probe was being investigated from all angles and material sample was collected from the incident spot.
'The retaining wall was built in a hurry. There was no record for its approval and the standard maintained to build it,' the committee members stated.
The wall collapse incident at Simhachalam claimed seven devotees. The three-member committee was constituted by the state government to investigate into Simhachalam wall collapse incident continued its investigation for the second day.
Based on the directions of the state government, the committee carried out a preliminary report in 72 hours.
The three-member committee under the chairmanship of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar, EAGLE chief Ake Ravi Krishna, irrigation engineer in chief Venkateswara Rao launched the investigation visiting Simhachalam soon after the wall collapse incident occurred on Chandanostavam day.
