- As you are aware, civilization has been on a perpetual growth trajectory since times immemorial that cannot be disputed. Generations after generations have witnessed some of the most astonishing developments, inventions, innovations, and initiatives leading to ease of living for millions of people around the world. In commensurate with the growth prospects, the administration has geared up to not only provide all requisite amenities but also ensure the cushion of safety is made available to ensure citizens are not inconvenienced. Right now, we are amid an unprecedented technology-driven modern world whose evolution must have amazed most of us. Yes, we are thrilled to live in such cutting-edge amenities at our disposal.
PC: Industrial Safety Review
- The moot point to ponder over here is whether the Indian administration has succeeded in providing every safety aspect to deter unavoidable accidents/incidents from occurring. The recent fire tragedies witnessed in India disturbingly mirror how we have failed the citizens by neglecting the safety aspects with such callousness. As casualties mount in the Rajkot and Delhi fires, and shameful facts of negligence emerge from the charred wreck of a gaming zone and a hospital ward, the enormity of the dereliction of duty is hitting home. Mind you, fire incidents have seen a very sharp rise across urban India. In factories, hospitals, residential buildings, schools, tuition centers, and restaurants, the risk of fire is omnipresent. This is the most glaring.
- It is this acceptance of the lazy approach to fire safety, India-wide, that a Rajkot happens. Or newborn babies are killed. Unfortunately, electrocution deaths are reported almost daily, yet have seen no city fix its indiscriminate cabling, illegal drawing of power lines and high-risk wiring. Builders use substandard material and disregard rules where they exist – nothing that greasing palms cannot handle. Cramped factories, hospitals, tuition centers, restaurants – private enterprises flourish in matchbox set-ups that unsurprisingly, 24×7, risk being engulfed in flames with no emergency exits. Has even one municipality been penalized ever? Fires are all in a day’s work, deaths are just unfortunate – that can be priced using compensation. Horrifying.
PC: Times of India
- Add to that the cavalier attitudes of most civilians for whom secure surroundings, like safe disposal of inflammables, is somebody else’s responsibility. Of course, fire is a state subject. Model Building Bylaws issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is a guidance document for states to revise and update their building bylaws. Enforcement is at the state level. Far too many small and medium towns still lack building bylaws. Naturally, in the absence of regulatory mechanisms towns are a messy bulge, resulting in chaotic conditions. Funds are only one part of the problem. The gap is in attitude. Till fire safety is taken seriously, our offices and businesses will remain a tinderbox. The administration must ensure strict compliance with the established norms.
