New Year’s eve near-stampede has stakeholders in bind

Industry veterans seek change in format, say residents oppose event; organisers continue to deny anything untoward
Huge crowd gathered at Parade ground in Fort Kochi for the New Year fete | T P Sooraj
Huge crowd gathered at Parade ground in Fort Kochi for the New Year fete | T P Sooraj

KOCHI: The overcrowding and the resultant crush at Fort Kochi’s Veli ground during New Year’s Eve celebrations, which saw many people seeking medical help, has elicited a mixed response from residents and those in the tourism industry. Many are debating the various aspects of the event, with some even questioning the necessity of holding it.

Fort Kochi has the status of a tourism hotspot, said Jose Dominic, former CEO of CGH Earth group and a tourism veteran. “But the event has taken on a rowdy nature,” he added. Echoing his views, Sivadathan M P, president of K-HATS, said,“We are not against the conduct of the event. However, organisers need to analyse the manner in which it is being held and try to find out what has gone wrong.” Fort Kochi is not a place that can accommodate such a huge crowd, he added.

A large crowd of people had gathered for the customary burning of Pappanji. Due to lack of space, there was a lot of pushing and shoving. People complained of breathlessness and many tried to escape the crush by entering neighbouring compounds.

“They destroyed property worth lakhs,” said a resident on condition of anonymity.  “If this pattern continues, it is high time the event is stopped. The format and structure of the event must change if it is to be continued with,” Jose said.

“There is strong dissent within the local community against the current format. Residents are against it and so are the hotels. The event doesn’t serve tourists. In fact, it gives Fort Kochi a bad reputation and also hurts the ‘God’s Own Country’ brand,” he added.

However, K J Sohan, former city mayor and patron of Cochin Carnival refuted the allegations. “There was no untoward incident. Of course, crowd numbers were not something that was anticipated. But we had made all preparations. Cops had been posted and even CCTV cameras had been installed at the venues,” he said.

It should be noted that the very homestays, hotels and others associated with the tourism industry who are now crying foul, were the ones most benefitted from the event, he added.

“Carnivals attract crowds. It is true all over the world. The crowds this time might have been because the event was being held after two years,” he said. All facilities needed to prevent any untoward incident had been set up at the venue, Sohan said.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com