KOCHI: The visit by La Albiceleste, including star footballer Lionel Messi, to Kochi next month promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, a massive crowd-puller.
For this same reason, the iconic event scheduled to happen between November 14 and 18 has also triggered concerns surrounding crowd management, concerns exacerbated by the recent stampede during actor Vijay’s political rally at Karur in Tamil Nadu that left 41 dead.
According to reports, the organisers are planning to hold mass events like road show and fan meets apart from the international friendly event at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kaloor. For the match alone, about 60,000 spectators will be in the stadium, while more are expected on its premises during the day.
However, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) is optimistic the crowd can be managed with meticulous planning. The authority plans to follow the steps taken during the FIFA U-17 World Cup held at the stadium in 2017 and adhere to the norms followed during Indian Super League matches to ensure safety inside and outside the ground.
“The entire region from the Kochi airport, the hotel where the team will be staying to the stadium will be full of people. The authority is making careful preparation. We have hosted huge events in the city before. So, though this is a huge task, it will not be very difficult (to manage),” said a KSDMA official. “Governmental-level discussions are expected to be over within a week, giving us enough time to prepare,” he said.
The state is no stranger to disasters caused by crowd mania. There is the stampede during the makaravilakku festival in Sabarimala in 1999, the Pullumedu stampede of 2011, the Puttingal fireworks tragedy in 2016 and, more recently, the stampede at Cusat during a music festival two years ago in which four people died.
“Generally, proper understanding of mob mania and mob psychology can help us (mitigate risks). Our plan for the event includes aspects where there can be no compromises – like the maximum number of people that can be allowed in a space, emergency measures to be considered during the visit of VVIPs, ensuring enough entry and exit points as well as weather conditions,” says Dr Shekhar Lukose Kuriakose, member-secretary, KSDMA, while stressing on public participation in ensuring the efforts pay off.
“At the end of the day, in addition to the efforts put in by authorities, people too should realise the dangers of mob mania,” he said.