VISAKHAPATNAM: A day after the tragic incident at the Simhachalam temple, where seven devotees lost their lives due to the collapse of a retaining wall during Chandanotsavam, contractor Lakshmana Rao has made serious revelations regarding the construction of the wall. “I was pressured to build the wall,” Rao, who was responsible for the wall’s construction, told the three-member inquiry committee during the investigation.
The three-member committee, appointed by the State government, began its investigation into the incident in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
The committee members visited Simhachalam, and began examining the circumstances surrounding the wall collapse. Officials have been directed to submit a detailed report within 72 hours.
Rao, in his testimony to the committee, stated that he had initially refused to undertake the construction due to the extremely tight timeline before the festival. “There was hardly any time left, and I clearly informed them that it wasn’t feasible to build the wall in just six days,” he said. Despite his objections, Rao claimed that officials from both the Devasthanam and the Tourism Department insisted that he proceed with the project.
“They pressured me to build the wall. I was told it was only a temporary structure,” he added.
Rao further revealed that the construction work began just four days before Chandanotsavam, raising concerns about the quality of the work given the short time frame.
The investigation is being conducted by a three-member committee led by S Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary of the MA&UD Department. The other members of the committee include Ake Ravi Krishna, Inspector General of Police, and Venkateswar Rao, Engineer-in-Chief (FAC) of the Irrigation Department.
After the investigation on Thursday, Suresh Kumar confirmed the initiation of a re-verification process regarding the incident.
“The three-member committee has decided to conduct a re-verification of the Simhachalam Devasthanam incident. The accident occurred due to the collapse of the retaining wall. It appears that the incident happened because of poor construction quality,” he said.
He also added that the wall was constructed as a temporary structure for the festival, and the committee would verify whether the construction adhered to the master plan regulations.
Suresh Kumar further added that as part of the preliminary investigation, engineers and contractors involved in the project have already been questioned. A preliminary report will be submitted to the government based on the inquiry, and a comprehensive report on the failures and shortcomings will be presented within 30 days.
“The investigation will include an inquiry into the officials who gave permission along with the contractor, and their involvement will be examined,” Suresh Kumar added.