Disaster tourism attracted widespread criticism during the recent flash floods in Uttarakhand. But it appears neither the people nor the politicians are mindful of the inconvenience they cause to rescue workers and victims in such situations.
On Monday, crowds swelled on the roads leading to the City Light hotel minutes after it collapsed. For what? Just to catch a glimpse of the debris and leaders queuing up to visit the site, which hindered rescue teams from helping the victims.
TDP chief’s arrival and his address to the people, which lasted for quite a few minutes, was a case in point.
“Everytime, politicians appear at such spots with their fleet of vehicles, it causes us problems, as hundreds of people literally break in just to ‘see’ them,” said an angry Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan, who was having a tough time handling the crowd..
Curious people kept coming to the City Light hotel even in the afternoon just to see the collapsed building. The police had to finally whip out their lathis to disperse the crowd! Even that did not work. It was not until 2 p.m. when the roads were blocked that the rush subsided.