Panel reveals lapses behind wall collapse

The three-member committee constituted by the Andhra Pradesh government to inquire into the causes of deaths of seven devotees in a wall collapse at the Sri Varaha Narasimha Swamy temple at Simhachalam in Visakhapatnam on April 30 concluded that there was no permission for the construction of the wall and nobody was owing responsibility for the incident.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

HYDERABAD:

The seven people died after the wall collapsed on the ₹300 ticket queue line near the shopping complex on the ghat road from Simhagiri bus stand at around 3 a.m., officials had said.

The committee is headed by S Suresh Kumar, principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development department, and comprises inspector general of police Ake Ravi Krishna and engineer-in-chief (irrigation) M Venkateswar Rao as members. The panel submitted its preliminary report to the state government on Saturday.

"We shall submit the final report within a month, after talking to all stakeholders and devotees who were present on the day of the incident," Suresh Kumar told reporters.