3 min readPanajiMar 21, 2026 07:38 AM IST
Continuous CCTV surveillance, removal of encroachments along the main corridor, setting up watchtowers at strategic points, barricading and buffer zones, multiple entry and exit channels, emergency evacuation routes, volunteers for crowd control, and a dedicated control room with access to CCTV and public address systems for supervision — these are among the steps being taken ahead of the annual Jatra of Shree Lairai Devi in Goa, scheduled for April 21.
Six people were killed and at least 100 injured in a stampede at the annual temple festival, attended by thousands of devotees, at the Lairai Devi temple in Shirgao village in North Goa on May 3 last year. The Jatra, held in honour of Goddess Lairai Devi, is attended by thousands of special devotees, referred to as ‘Dhonds’, who come from across Goa and neighbouring states. In a fire-walking ritual at the Jatra, the Dhonds circle a fire pit (homkhand) and walk barefoot across burning embers — a spectacle that draws many spectators.
A fact-finding inquiry committee, constituted to investigate the stampede, had found that the tragedy was “entirely preventable” and stemmed from a combination of poor planning, lack of enforcement, ignored directives, and inadequate infrastructure. While flagging procedural shortcomings on the part of the management committee of Shree Lairai Saunsthan, the district administration, police, and village panchayat, the committee said that the absence of basic crowd control infrastructure, disregard for specific administrative instructions, and failure to utilise modern surveillance tools contributed to a critical breakdown in safety. The immediate trigger, it said, was overcrowding on a sloped pathway, compounded by a sudden surge and forward movement of a group of Dhonds, which caused the fall of a person and a subsequent domino effect.
While a crowd management plan is being prepared in consultation with all stakeholders, the Disaster Management Authority has prepared a checklist to be followed for mass events to ensure preparedness and avoid a repeat of last year’s incident.
“Sufficient deployment of security personnel, crowd control personnel, volunteers, and traffic marshals shall be ensured. Setting up of watchtowers is to be done at strategic points. Adequate barricading, buffer zones, and multiple entry and exit channels for the entire venue, including parking areas, shall be ensured. No entry should be allowed beyond the carrying capacity of the venue as specified by organisers. A dedicated control room is to be set up with access to CCTV, public address systems, and sufficient personnel deployed round the clock. Provision for monitoring the entire venue with the help of drones is to be made after obtaining necessary approvals from the concerned authorities,” the advisory states.
“Continuous CCTV surveillance and public address systems for the entire venue, including parking areas, are to be ensured. Adequate emergency evacuation routes and mock drills, with participation of volunteers/officials deployed to mitigate any emergency, shall be ensured. Multiple entry and exit points are to be set up in addition to emergency exit points in both open and closed venues. Sufficient holding areas/buffer zones are to be maintained at main congregation points to avoid overcrowding,” it adds.
