Visakhapatnam, June 22, 2013: The disaster faced by Char Dham pilgrims must be declared immediately a national calamity and the Hindu temples in the Himalayas must be protected in future, head of the Visakha Sri Sarada Peetham Swamy Swaroopanandendra Saraswathi said here on Friday.

“Not even a committee was formed or a thought given to find out the reasons for the disaster in which a large number of people died or are missing and heavy loss of property and infrastructure is reported. No Government or a political party thought about the disaster that will occur when forests near the pilgrimage centres and on the Himalayas were destroyed”, he said at a press conference.

The State Government had failed to act in full measure to alleviate the difficulties of the victims. Even now it could not determine how many were killed or made arrangements to bring the bodies home, the Swamy said.

He also regretted that the proposals for bauxite mining in Visakha Agency and mining of other minerals in Rayalaseema and Telangana areas were not shelved and the Government was not serious about stopping the plunder of sandalwood on the Tirupati hills. He recalled the caution he had sounded in the past to the people not to go to Saraswathi river Pushkarams since the area was not suitable and narrow, in view of their safety and as expected the Government failed to provide the required facilities.

The Peetham head appreciated the service being rendered by the Army and paramilitary forces in the affected area.