Latest news with #UmamaheswaraRao
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Simhachalam temple wall collapse: Missed writing on the wall
When Umamaheswara Rao and wife Sailaja set out to the Simhachalam hills in Visakhapatnam from their home at Chandrampalem at 2.30 a.m. on April 30, they were probably thinking of the moment they would finally fulfil a long-cherished dream: to witness the 'nijaroopa darshan' of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, a rare sight available only once a year during the temple's 'Chandanotsavam'. The couple were just three years into their marriage, and life seemed good. The two software professionals, both 30 years old, were ambitious as well as deeply spiritual. They reached the temple after short trip of 25 km and joined a sea of devotees hailing from across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and beyond. Many of them had reached the hill the previous evening (April 29) itself to avoid the rush after midnight. All had one objective: to catch a glimpse of the original form of the idol, which remains covered in sandalwood paste throughout the year except this occasion. From around midnight, devotees began taking their place in their respective queues [sarva (free) darshan; ₹300, ₹1,000 and ₹1,500 ticket darshans]. Umamaheswara Rao, Sailaja, her mother P. Venkata Ratnam (50) and his aunt G. Mahalakshmi (55) took up their spot in the ₹300 queue, located close to Rajagopuram and the bus terminus atop the hill. Above them, on a higher elevation, a massive new brick and concrete wall towered. The festival began with 'Suprabhatam' at 1 a.m. on April 30, followed by a few other rituals. The hereditary trustee Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju had the first darshan of the deity at 3 a.m., followed by some ministers and other VVIPs, who entered the main temple through the Rajagopuram. The darshan for common devotees was to begin from 4 a.m. Shortly after, however, the weather took a drastic turn and heavy downpour, accompanied by gales, began pummelling the region. Naresh, a volunteer present at the site, recalls what happened next. 'There was a loud thud, and people began screaming. At first, we thought nobody was hurt, but when we reached the spot, we saw the wall had collapsed onto the queue line, and many were trapped under the debris; it was a horrifying sight.' The hilltop, the divine abode, began echoing with wails of ambulance sirens and the screams of the injured. Seven people lost their lives that day, including Umamaheswara Rao, Sailaja, Mahalakshmi and Venkata Ratnam. While the bodies were taken to King George Hospital (KGH), the injured were shifted to Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) near Hanumanthawaka. Outside the KGH mortuary, heartbroken relatives wept inconsolably; some were stunned into stillness by what had just happened. 'We received a WhatsApp message early in the morning about the accident. I checked Mahesh's [Umamaheswara Rao] message; he had left a voice note saying he was heading to Chandanotsavam. It's hard to accept that someone so full of life is no longer with us,' says a devastated family member. Kin demand answers Anger and grief seized the families of the victims in the aftermath of the tragedy. The grieving kin questioned how a new wall could collapse so easily and why the devotees were allowed to line up so close to an area that was still under construction. Many point fingers at what they call gross negligence in festival arrangements and allege that despite reviews by a group of ministers over the few weeks prior to the festival's commencement, the authorities utterly failed to ensure basic safety measures. Some family members, reflecting on past festivals, say that while there had been instances of inconvenience and crowd management issues, they had never heard of incidents leading to deaths at the temple. 'My son was a god-fearing man. He visited many temples, but never in my worst nightmares did I imagine he would lose his life at one,' says P.V.V. Satyanarayana, father of Durga Swamy Naidu, another victim. He sits on the floor of the mortuary,face slick with tears. He had come all the way from Machavaram in East Godavari district upon hearing the news. Accident waiting to happen According to sources,the wall's construction was completed just five days before the festival began. Residents near the temple cannot recall a precedent to the incident at the temple. The impressive rock pillars and stone walls of the nearly 1,000-year-old temple stood the test of time and continue to inspire awe among devotees. Shortly after the incident, the government formed a three-member committee to inquire into the issue. Deposing before the committee, the contractor had this to say: 'I was under pressure from officials to complete the work though I was against the construction of the wall, which was not part of the original plan.' The engineer tasked with supervising the construction told the panel that he was not present at the site when the wall was constructed. 'I was on camp in Vijayawada,' he had said. The inconsistencies in the statements of the contractor and the engineering officials were not lost on the panel, though. Its chairperson opined that proper quality checks might have been given the go-by during the wall's construction and that other infrastructure works taken up on the hilltop and on the foothills under the Centre's Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme, also need to be inspected. People familiar with the functioning of the temple said on condition of anonymity that the wall was on a higher ground while queue lines with an iron mesh were on a lower plane along the hill slope. The construction of the wall, about 15 ft. long and 10 ft. high, was taken up under the PRASHAD scheme. It was completed in haste ahead of the annual festival and the concrete curing was not done properly. According to sources, the wall gave way owing reportedly to the incessant flow of water from the upper areas. It collapsed on the wire mesh around the queue lines and then slid down the slope along with the mesh upon the devotees, trapping eight under bricks and soil. Personnel of the AP State Disaster Response Force (APSDRF), Police, the Fire Department and NDRF had a tough time rescuing the injured and extricating the bodies. A few roof sheets and iron supporting pillars, too, fell to the ground. A power cable was reportedly snapped, electrifying one of the iron poles. An electrician was brought in to rectify the problem. 'We managed to rescue two injured from under the debris. We retrieved seven bodies from the rubble during the operation, which lasted for nearly two-and-a-half hours,' T. Ramakrishna, RI of SDRF told The Hindu at the accident spot on the day. 'We were initially posted at the temple pushkarini (tank), which is at the foothill, as officials anticipated that a number of devotees would have a dip there before having darshan in the early hours. However, we were asked to come to the hilltop as most of the devotees were directly going to the hilltop,' said Ramana, one of the team members of SDRF 16 Battalion Visakhapatnam. Wall without permission Pasarla Prasad, a former member of the Simhachalam Temple Trust Board and former corporator, says the wall was constructed without authorisation. Another former member of the temple trust board Dadi Devi says that the infrastructure works at the temple had been neglected by the Endowments Department as well as the Tourism Department, which executes the PRASHAD scheme. 'There was no inspection of works by officials, and political interference compounded the problem. The construction of Kalyana Mandapams was taken up at Srinivasa Nagar on the foothills about six years ago, but they are yet to be completed,' Dadi Devi says. 'There is no internal Vigilance Wing in the temple. Works below ₹5 lakh do not require the permission of the Endowments Commissioner. On completion of infra works, third party inspection is needed. The work has to be tested at some places randomly to ensure quality of the construction,' says Pasarla Prasad. A devotee, seeking anonymity, says that a viewpoint built on the way to the hilltop was done in a hurry and has not been provided with a railing or protection wall. 'Many devotees go to this point to take selfies,' the devotee adds. Tragedies at temples The Simhachalam incident is the second major temple tragedy in the State this year. In January, a stampede during the distribution of tokens for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan at Tirumala left six dead and several others injured. Lack of proper crowd management and sudden opening of gates were said to have contributed to the tragedy. There were also allegations of lack of coordination between TTD Trust Board and officials. It may also be recalled that Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan had sought a public apology from the TTD Board and the officials.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Appoint new Pay Revision Commission immediately: YSRCP leaders
YSR Congress Party's employees and pensioners wing State Chairman N. Chandrasekhar Reddy and newly appointed General Secretary Bukkuru Umamaheswara Rao have urged the State government to constitute a new Pay Revision Commission (PRC) and provide interim relief to employees immediately. In a meeting held with ex-chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy at his camp office in Vijayawada on Wednesday, Mr. Chandrasekhar Reddy and Mr. Umamaheswara Rao and highlighted the troubles employees are facing in the TDP regime. The leaders compared the welfare measures implemented by the YSRCP administration during its regime and how they improved the welfare of employees. In a press release, Mr. Umamaheswara Rao criticised the TDP government for not fulfilling its election promises regarding employees and pensioners welfare. Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said: 'Although the TDP government is in power for one year, it has not appointed a PRC, despite many representations submitted by the employees associations.' He also pointed out delays in clearing pending applications related to payment of General Provident Fund (GPF) and other benefits for retired employees and officials. Mr. Umamaheswara Rao thanked the former ministers Dharmana Prasada Rao and Dharmana Krishnadas for supporting him for the new post in the YSRCP.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Techie couple buried under wall in Simhachalam incident
Visakhapatnam: A pall of gloom has descended upon Chandrampalem in Madhurawada and nearby areas, as relatives and residents are mourning the tragic deaths caused by the wall collapse at Simhachalam Sri Varaha Lakshmi Nrusimha Swamy Temple . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The incident has left the local community shaken. The victims, Pilla Umamaheswara Rao (30) and his wife Sailaja (27), lost their lives when a wall near the bus complex on Simhachalam hill collapsed early on Wednesday morning, amidst heavy rains, thunderstorms, and strong winds. Described as a loving and amicable couple by neighbours and relatives, Umamaheswara Rao and Sailaja's sudden demise has devastated their family and friends. Their relative Raju shared that Umamaheswara Rao's father, Appalanaidu, is a plumber, while his uncle, Pilla Rambabu, is a well-known stage artist. Rao, the sole son among two siblings, had recently established himself as a professional after completing his education. Employed at HCL, Umamaheswara married Sailaja, an Infosys professional, three years ago. Both were residing in Hyderabad, working remotely. The couple, accompanied by their aunt G Mahalakshmi and relative Venkata Ratnam, visited the Simhachalam temple at 1 a.m. At around 2 a.m., while waiting in the Rs 300 special darshan queue, the six-foot wall above the queue lines suddenly collapsed. Rao and Sailaja sustained fatal injuries, leading to their immediate death. Chandrampalem village is now steeped in grief, with locals offering condolences for this heartbreaking tragedy.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Techie couple buried under collapsed temple wall in Simhachalam; village mourns
A techie couple, Pilla Umamaheswara Rao and Sailaja, tragically died in Simhachalam temple after a wall collapsed due to heavy rain. The incident occurred near the bus complex, leaving their family and the Chandrampalem community in deep sorrow. VISAKHAPATNAM: A pall of gloom descended at the house of the techie couple at Chandrampalem in Madhurawada and surrounding areas, where the family members and relatives of the victims of a wall collapse incident in Simhachalam Sri Varaha Lakshmi Nrusimha Swamy Temple are residing. This sorrowful event has deeply saddened the local community. The techie couple, Pilla Umamaheswara Rao (30) and his wife Sailaja (27), were buried under the collapsed wall near the bus complex area on the Simhachalam hill in the wee hours of Wednesday, following a heavy downpour along with thunderstorms and heavy winds. Locals and relatives describe Umamaheswara Rao and Shailaja as a loving couple who were friendly with everyone. Their untimely demise, just as they were settling into their careers with good jobs after completing higher education, has plunged their family and friends into deep sorrow, their relative Raju said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Breaks His Silence: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo He further added that Uma Maheswara Rao's father, Appalanaidu, is a plumber, and his uncle, Pilla Rambabu, is a well-known stage artist. Umamahesh is the only male child of two two-child family. The HCL employee, Umamaheswara Rao, got married to Infosys employee Sailaja three years ago. Both are working in Hyderabad, but now they are in the work-from-home mode. Sailaja, along with her husband Umamaheswara Rao, aunt G Mahalakshmi, and another relative Venkata Ratnam, reached the temple at 1 am. They were waiting in the special darshan queue line at 2 am for the deity's darshan when heavy rain lashed the temple, and suddenly the wall on top of six feet from the two queue lines of Rs. 300 collapsed suddenly, causing fatal injuries and resulting in their spot death. The village of Chandrampalem is enveloped in grief, and many have expressed their condolences over this unfortunate incident.
