happy street – The Commune https://thecommunemag.com Mainstreaming Alternate Tue, 17 Oct 2023 05:35:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://thecommunemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-TC_SF-1-32x32.jpg happy street – The Commune https://thecommunemag.com 32 32 Yet Another Happy Street Turns Into A Horror Street; Earlier It Was Madurai, This Time It Is Thanjavur https://thecommunemag.com/yet-another-happy-street-turns-into-a-horror-street-earlier-it-was-madurai-this-time-it-is-thanjavur/ Tue, 17 Oct 2023 05:35:32 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=62339 The much anticipated Happy Street event organised by the Thanjavur Municipality took a disheartening plunge into chaos. Unlike the previous time , the gathering swelled to an alarming size, with over a thousand  youngsters converging at a designated location, giving rise to severe overcrowding issues. The overcrowded environment led to unfortunate incidents, as some young […]

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The much anticipated Happy Street event organised by the Thanjavur Municipality took a disheartening plunge into chaos. Unlike the previous time , the gathering swelled to an alarming size, with over a thousand  youngsters converging at a designated location, giving rise to severe overcrowding issues.

The overcrowded environment led to unfortunate incidents, as some young attendees collapsed amidst the sea of people. Disturbingly, injuries were sustained by a number of attendees. In addition to the physical toll, discomfort and unease also gripped many women present at the event.

Attendees allege that there were no proper drinking water facilities or any other basic facilities at the event which led to dehydration and fainting among several youth. Molestation attempts were also reported at the venue.

The distressing outcome underscores a dire lack of adequate pre-event preparations, exacerbating the impact on the participants and endangering their well-being. This alarming pattern of Happy Streets turning into scenes of distressing tragedies is deeply concerning. It is evident that the community’s enjoyment and safety are compromised due to the inadequacy of the arrangements.

A report by News18 indicates that the barricades were damaged by unknown individuals. It has been noted that several of the attendees left their footwear and other plastic items at the venue and the whole place looked like a garbage mound.

This is not an isolated incident, as a similar scenario unfolded recently during a Happy Street event in Madurai.

In September 2023, the event in Madurai took a disastrous turn with women and young girls molested, children going missing, several fainting due to the overcrowded venue. The authorities were aware of the unfolding of events, yet they continued but after a point where a stampede situation arose, they dispersed the crowd. Several ladies were also injured during the event. It is noteworthy that DMK Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan and Kollywood actor Soori were part of the event.

The recurrence of such distressing incidents underscores the pressing need for swift and decisive action. It is imperative for the government to take immediate steps to address this growing concern before it escalates further and becomes an irreversible public health crisis.

Despite several instances in the recent past, be it the Marakkuma Nenjam event by AR Rahman which ended in a disaster or the Happy Streets event in Madurai, critics argue that the state government has not learnt any lessons from previous fiascos.

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The post Yet Another Happy Street Turns Into A Horror Street; Earlier It Was Madurai, This Time It Is Thanjavur appeared first on The Commune.

]]> Happy Street Turns Horror Street: Stampede, Groping, Children Go Missing At Govt-Organised ‘Happy Street Madurai’ Event https://thecommunemag.com/happy-street-turn-horror-street-stampede-groping-children-go-missing-at-govt-organised-happy-street-madurai-event/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 06:54:18 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=61023 The ‘Happy Street’ initiative of the Tamil Nadu government took a startling turn in Madurai when it turned into a horrendous experience for the public that had gathered at the event on 24 September 2023. The initiative which had been successfully celebrated in Chennai for several months involved the complete cessation of vehicular traffic on […]

The post Happy Street Turns Horror Street: Stampede, Groping, Children Go Missing At Govt-Organised ‘Happy Street Madurai’ Event appeared first on The Commune.

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The ‘Happy Street’ initiative of the Tamil Nadu government took a startling turn in Madurai when it turned into a horrendous experience for the public that had gathered at the event on 24 September 2023. The initiative which had been successfully celebrated in Chennai for several months involved the complete cessation of vehicular traffic on busy roads on Sundays, allowing various events and activities to take place. The programme garnered significant enthusiasm among the youth and various demographics. It was extended to cities like Coimbatore as well.

However, on Sunday, the ‘Happy Street’ event organised by the Madurai City Corporation in Anna Nagar, Madurai, turned into a “Horror Street” as several people were injured as a barricade collapsed, leading to a stampede. The crowd turnout was larger than expected and the event saw incidents of molestation, groping, stampede, injuries, children going missing, fainting, etc.

The event was attended by prominent figures, including the city Mayor, the Police Commissioner, DMK Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, MLAs as well as Kollywood actor Soori.

https://twitter.com/Vadakkanunga/status/1705947307525484813

In response to the escalating situation, authorities were forced to halt the event abruptly. The insensitivity displayed by the organisers during the unfolding of events only added to the public’s outrage. The organisers were found to be joking around the stampede that ensued, here they are heard saying “We know how you will dance, please allow space between each other and dance”

The incident has sparked outrage on social media, with citizens sharing harrowing accounts of their experiences during the event. One individual highlighted the distressing incidents of groping and molestation that took place in broad daylight. Shockingly, young girls and children were reportedly groped and molested, and some went missing in the crowd. As women and children fainted in the stampede, organisers appeared to be oblivious to the unfolding crisis.

https://twitter.com/Vadakkanunga/status/1706086423483371547

This parent narrates her harrowing experience at the event, “We have been standing here since the start of the event, but we have been groped continually. There is no safety here. The boys are behaving very poorly, and even though the children/young girls are accompanied by their parents, they are subject to groping and molestation. Even the Chitrai Thiruvizha was not like this.”

In this video, the organisers are seen telling the public, “Treat them like your sisters, will you tear their dress like this? Don’t think anyone can get away everything is recorded” indicating that they were aware of the molestation and groping that was taking place and yet no proper measures were taken to handle the situation.

This incident has left many questioning the Tamil Nadu state government’s abilities and the lack of adequate infrastructure and administration. Many have questioned whether the administration has not learnt any lessons from the recent AR Rahman’s Marakkuma Nenjam concert fiasco. A similar stampede-like situation with incidents of molestation and children going missing, elders fainting/panic attacks were seen just a few weeks ago at the AR Rahman concert in Chennai. Even though that event was a privately organised one, the police were found to be lacking in their action against the organisers for allegedly overselling the tickets and the non-availability of basic emergency infrastructure like toilets and first-aid kits/ambulance, etc.

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