Abstract

In cities like Chennai, where sizable crowds are regularly drawn to religious, political, and cultural events, stampede disasters have become a major public safety concern. Even though stampedes can be avoided, repeated occurrences highlight serious administrative shortcomings in preparation, planning, and real-time management. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the main administrative flaws that lead to stampede disasters in Chennai. Examining current disaster management frameworks, assessing how well they are being implemented, and making useful suggestions for enhancing public safety and administrative effectiveness during large-scale events are the primary goals. With a convenience sampling strategy and a sample size of 210 participants, the researchers used an empirical approach. Questionnaires, site visits, and secondary sources like reports, journals, and articles were used to gather data. The data was analyzed using statistical tools such as bar charts and chi-square tests. In addition to dependent variables like awareness, agreeability, major reason, most significant impact, effective regulation, and rating scale, the analysis is conducted for independent statistics such as gender, age, educational attainment, residence, and occupation. According to the study, stampede disasters are caused by a number of factors, including inadequate crowd control measures, a lack of real-time monitoring systems, outdated infrastructure, a lack of coordination between government agencies, and a lack of trained personnel deployment. For improved crowd monitoring, the study recommends implementing technology-driven strategies like drones, CCTV surveillance, and crowd simulation models. Centralized command systems, more stringent enforcement of safety regulations, and mandatory training for officials can all significantly improve administrative readiness. Future studies can concentrate on creating regional crowd control tools, incorporating international best practices like the UK's Green Guide and Japan's disaster models, and promoting increased public involvement in safety exercises.

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