Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday constituted a committee of four OAS officers to assist Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg, conducting a detailed inquiry into the stampede at Saradhabali near Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri, which claimed three lives on Sunday.
The officers are:
Manas Ranjan Samal, Joint Director of Estates and Additional Secretary, GA & PG Department.
Binaya Kumar Dash, Additional Secretary to Government, H & UD Department.
Rashmi Ranjan Nayak, Additional Secretary to Government, Water Resources Department.
Pradip Kumar Sahoo, Additional Secretary to Government, Works Department.
The notification issued by the GA & PG Department said that Dash, Nayak and Sahoo will remain in Puri till July 8.
“The officers concerned shall undertake this responsibility in addition to their regular duties. They are required to be present in the office of the Development Commissioner- cum-Additional Chief Secretary, Planning & Convergence Department, for approximately two hours daily, from 3 pm to 5 pm, to support the inquiry process,” it added.
Following the stampede, the government ordered an administrative inquiry headed by Garg. She has been asked to submit a report within a month.
The Development Commissioner started her investigation into the incident from the spot on Monday and held discussions with the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA ), Puri collector and SP, besides other officials and temple servitors. “I have come to Puri regarding this unfortunate incident. An inquiry must be conducted into it, and a time frame of 30 days has been given to determine the reasons behind the incident and how such incidents can be prevented in the future. Today, I had some preliminary discussions with everyone and reviewed the entire situation,” she told the media.
Garg further stated that she would examine all CCTV footage available, go through the deployment orders and whether the SOPs were being followed. “Currently, the primary focus is to ensure smooth conduct of the remaining rituals at Puri,” she added.