Two months before the start of the Godavari Maha Pushkaram, the organisers held training sessions to prepare for the once-in-144-years event. At one of these sessions in May, Prasanna Kumar, professor of climate and disaster management at the Marri Channa Reddy Human Resource Development Institute in Hyderabad, noted a gap in planning. Kumar recommended that an insurance policy be taken to protect against mishaps at the event and cover the attending pilgrims. The suggestion was ignored.
On July 14, 29 pilgrims were killed and 60 more injured in a stampede as they gathered to take a bath in the Godavari at Rajahmundry during the pushkaram. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh to each of the deceased. Still, the tragedy underscored the need for insuring against accidents at mass religious gatherings.
“Guidelines have been sent to both Telangana and Andhra governments to take public liability insurance,” Kumar said. “It would be a small amount compared to the scale of the event – maybe they would have spent Rs 20 lakh for a Rs 4 lakh-5 lakh coverage per person.” The Andhra government spent Rs 1,600 crore on the mega event against the initially budgeted Rs 336 crore.
Within a week of the Rajahmundry accident, two people were killed in a stampede at the Nabakalebar Rath Yatra of the Puri Jagannath Temple. Stampedes at religious events are a major killer in India and Andhra has the dubious distinction of most such deaths since 2001.
Public liability insurance covers the amount that an event organiser would pay as damages to a third party due to accidental death, injury or damage to property. The advantage of this kind of insurance policy is two-fold, says Faisel Illyas, assistant professor at the Institute of Land and Disaster Management in Thiruvananthapuram. “If public liability insurance is taken, the administration or organisation will become more conscious towards the safety of the event,” Illyas said. “If there is insurance the compensation will come from the liability package and the state exchequer can be saved.”
Mathew George, senior division manager of Oriental Insurance Company in Ernakulam, explained, “Suppose any accident occurs due to negligence of a temple, the temple on its own may not be able to pay because it may not have the funds. If there is insurance coverage then they will definitely pay.”
The National Disaster Management Authority recommends that all event and venue managers get liability insurance for their visitors. Although it is optional now, the authority is of the view that such insurance should be made mandatory across the country.
In Kerala, the forest department requires that all events involving a parade of elephants – and there are many – be covered by public liability insurance. This has led to a surge in temples buying insurance policies in the state. George says there are two major considerations for providing insurance to temples: the limit of liability required – that is, the maximum amount that the insurance company will be asked to pay in case of an accident; and the area covered, which can be 4-5 kilometres in case of elephant parades.
“A small temple may require only Rs 10 lakh or Rs 25 lakh as a limit of liability,” said George. “Other events like Thrissurpooram and all will require Rs 1 crore.”
Organisers of big religious gatherings have begun to buy public liability insurance policies, including the Sri Maa Vaishnodevi Shrine board, the Sri Amaranth Shrine board, and the Puri Jagannath Temple board. The Puri Jagannath temple raised its insurance cover from Rs 1 lakh in previous years to Rs 5 lakh for an unnatural death during the just-concluded Nabakalebar Rath Yatra. Two people were killed in stampede on the first day of the festival.
“Public liability insurance for religious festivals has not received due attention in India till now,” said Ilyas. “There are some isolated instances of temple authorities or organisers covering their prestigious religious functions but at the national level there are no specific instructions by the central government or the National Disaster Management Authority to cover every major mass gathering or religious event.”
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On July 14, 29 pilgrims were killed and 60 more injured in a stampede as they gathered to take a bath in the Godavari at Rajahmundry during the pushkaram. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh to each of the deceased. Still, the tragedy underscored the need for insuring against accidents at mass religious gatherings.
“Guidelines have been sent to both Telangana and Andhra governments to take public liability insurance,” Kumar said. “It would be a small amount compared to the scale of the event – maybe they would have spent Rs 20 lakh for a Rs 4 lakh-5 lakh coverage per person.” The Andhra government spent Rs 1,600 crore on the mega event against the initially budgeted Rs 336 crore.
Within a week of the Rajahmundry accident, two people were killed in a stampede at the Nabakalebar Rath Yatra of the Puri Jagannath Temple. Stampedes at religious events are a major killer in India and Andhra has the dubious distinction of most such deaths since 2001.
Public liability insurance covers the amount that an event organiser would pay as damages to a third party due to accidental death, injury or damage to property. The advantage of this kind of insurance policy is two-fold, says Faisel Illyas, assistant professor at the Institute of Land and Disaster Management in Thiruvananthapuram. “If public liability insurance is taken, the administration or organisation will become more conscious towards the safety of the event,” Illyas said. “If there is insurance the compensation will come from the liability package and the state exchequer can be saved.”
Mathew George, senior division manager of Oriental Insurance Company in Ernakulam, explained, “Suppose any accident occurs due to negligence of a temple, the temple on its own may not be able to pay because it may not have the funds. If there is insurance coverage then they will definitely pay.”
The National Disaster Management Authority recommends that all event and venue managers get liability insurance for their visitors. Although it is optional now, the authority is of the view that such insurance should be made mandatory across the country.
In Kerala, the forest department requires that all events involving a parade of elephants – and there are many – be covered by public liability insurance. This has led to a surge in temples buying insurance policies in the state. George says there are two major considerations for providing insurance to temples: the limit of liability required – that is, the maximum amount that the insurance company will be asked to pay in case of an accident; and the area covered, which can be 4-5 kilometres in case of elephant parades.
“A small temple may require only Rs 10 lakh or Rs 25 lakh as a limit of liability,” said George. “Other events like Thrissurpooram and all will require Rs 1 crore.”
Organisers of big religious gatherings have begun to buy public liability insurance policies, including the Sri Maa Vaishnodevi Shrine board, the Sri Amaranth Shrine board, and the Puri Jagannath Temple board. The Puri Jagannath temple raised its insurance cover from Rs 1 lakh in previous years to Rs 5 lakh for an unnatural death during the just-concluded Nabakalebar Rath Yatra. Two people were killed in stampede on the first day of the festival.
“Public liability insurance for religious festivals has not received due attention in India till now,” said Ilyas. “There are some isolated instances of temple authorities or organisers covering their prestigious religious functions but at the national level there are no specific instructions by the central government or the National Disaster Management Authority to cover every major mass gathering or religious event.”