Durga temple orders audit after girl injured by falling slab

Vijayawada: Durga temple administration in Vijayawada on Saturday ordered a comprehensive technical audit of temple structures after a nine-year-old girl sustained minor injuries when a slab fragment from an old structure fell on her along the temple’s old steps route.In a clarification issued a day after the incident, temple authorities said the girl, Sneha, from Guntur district, was immediately shifted to the temple’s first aid centre after the slab fragment fell on her head around 8 am on Friday. Officials said she was later sent to the government general hospital as a precautionary measure and is safe.The administration denied allegations of negligence and said medical staff responded promptly. Authorities also stated that the family continued with darshan after first aid treatment before proceeding to the hospital.According to the temple administration, the damaged slab belonged to a nearly 50-year-old structure located along the old steps pathway. Following the incident, access to the route was temporarily stopped, and repair works were taken up immediately.The temple’s executive officer said the endowments department has directed a detailed technical audit of all civil and electrical structures within the temple premises through a certified agency to prevent similar incidents in future.The clarification also revealed that the temple had sought two MBBS doctors on deputation for its first aid centre, but only one doctor had joined duty so far. Officials said additional requests had been sent to the health department seeking more medical staff.