VIJAYAWADA: Taking the fire mishap at Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Antarvedi on a serious note, Director General of Police (DGP) D Gautam Sawang said that the enumeration of temples and other places of worship for geo-tagging should be completed at the earliest.
Addressing the video conference with SPs and sub-divisional police officers, the DGP instructed them to prepare a list of temples, churches and mosques in their jurisdiction and asked all the temple officials, committees and private persons running places of worship to conduct a safety audit and obtain a certificate from the authorities concerned, and submit the same to SPs.
Sawang said that under AP Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2013, establishments, including temples, should ensure safety measures.The DGP interacted with Tirupati Urban SP Avula Ramesh Reddy, Anantapur SP Satya Yesubabu, Kurnool SP Fakeerappa Kaginelli, Vizianagaram SP B Raja Kumari, Guntur Urban SP Ammi Reddy, Guntur Rural SP Vishal Gunni, Vijayawada Police Commissioner B Sreenivasulu and Station House Officers (SHOs).
Sawang instructed all the SHOs to inspect all the chariots personally. He also told the officials to form peace committees in temples and other places of worship and monitor the activities of religious fundamentalists. “It’s the responsibility of religious places to ensure safety of people and property,” he said.
Later, addressing the media, the DGP said, “Andhra Pradesh is a peaceful State. The Antarvedi incident has come as an eye-opener as security lapses at places of worship were exposed. The CBI is inquiring into the incident. The State police too will assist the CBI in the investigation.” He also appealed to religious groups to exercise restrain and not post unverified facts on social media.