Let us celebrate a good governance strategy that made big headlines. The following case study is framed from a success story recognised at The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards. UPSC Essentials of The Indian Express takes you through some inspiring case studies every week from the area of Governance and Civil Services which not only highlight the problem but also focus on award-winning solutions.

Relevance: For Essays, Governance and Ethics section of Mains examination as case studies and example-fodder for answers. Candidates will find it useful for framing replies in interviews and personality tests. This particular case study is relevant to questions related to Disaster Management. Moreover, to remain motivated, and inspired and create role models, such real-life stories should be read, noted, and applied.

Accidents during mass gatherings are not a novel phenomenon. Especially in a place that is prone to natural disasters. The hill shrine of Sabarimala, situated 72 km from Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, is the sacred abode of Lord Ayyappa. Every year, hundreds of devotees from various parts of the country visit the temple during the Mandala season. When the pilgrimage opened in 2021-22, the situations were different with many obstacles for district administration. After a series of disruptions, from protests to the pandemic, the district administration faced another challenge: the massive floods and landslides had made early preparations nearly impossible. Can we think of effective crowd management in a place like Pathanamthitta, where conducting ‘Sabarimala Yatra’ amid natural disasters is not easy?

What is Crowd management? It may be defined as a systematic process of planning, organizing and monitoring large gatherings. Such management must be anticipated and planned accordingly for the worst situation and therefore should strategise to reduce and mitigate the risks in advance.

Crowd management is an important tool for safety of citizens especially at religious places. Unfortunately crowd disasters still happen. According to nidm.gov.in such disasters still happen due to lack of (i) understanding of crowd behaviour, (ii) coordination, (iii) clear roles & responsibilities of various stakeholders and (iv) proper planning on the part of organizers.

Tackling many challenges, IAS Divya Iyer and the district administration of Pathanamthitta district of Kerala successfully managed to conduct the yatra through some strategic planning and execution. The following were the part of the strategy:

1. Coordination with 52 stakeholder departments,

2. The administration undertook a Safety Walk,

3. Carrying out landslide hazard mapping,

4. The administration also designed the Sabarimala Virtual Queue System to regulate and streamline the queue of devotees.

All these steps were taken while following strict covid protocols.

Crowd management has now emerged as a discipline. It requires a planned response to mass gatherings and enhancing the experience of those participating in them. Crowd planning is to be prioritised for public safety.

An effective crowd management is the first responsibility of administration especially in a place like Pathanamthitta where conducting ‘Sabarimala Yatra’ amid natural disasters is not an easy task. In a conversation with Manas Srivastava of The Indian Express during the Excellence in Governance Award ceremony in 2023, IAS Divya S Iyer told that Pathanamthitta district is prone to many natural disasters and thus it is the responsibility of the administration to protect the people from the hazards. So, hazard mapping was essential which was done with the help of agencies like the Indian Meteorological Department and under the aegis of State Disaster Management Authority.

Disaster Management is not just about responding to disaster but also about preventing, mitigating and providing warnings in advance. People have to be taught how to deal with disasters. The project of crowd management begins before the gathering, continues throughout and ends after the gathering or event. There is also a plan to start a disaster literacy program for children in the school.

Divya believes that the capacity and curiosity to learn is an important value for a civil servant. Civil Services isn’t a routine job. Everyday offers new challenges and so one needs to be a good learner to survive and flourish in Civil Services.

For an effective crowd management project that mitigates disaster risks, District Collector Divya S Iyer was awarded The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Award in the ‘Jury Special’ category.

Crowd management is an important tool for safety of citizens especially at religious places. Unfortunately crowd disasters still happen. What are the major reasons behind such disasters. Suggest strategies to avoid crowd disasters.

About The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards

The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards attempts to identify and recognise the excellence in innovations at the district level by rewarding the spirit of the district. The Indian Express started the Excellence in Governance Awards (EIGA) in 2019. The Indian Express launched its second edition in 2022. The Indian Express Excellence in Governance Awards celebrate best practices across a range of 18 categories: Healthcare to Gender & Inclusion; Skill Development to innovative education, energy to agriculture, Start ups and innovation to E-Governance.

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