R K SINHA
The inferno in the posh Parel locality of Mumbai in the Kamla Mill Compound where a roof top pub was gutted causing loss of life and property reminds us of similar fire in Mandi Dabwali in Harayana on 13 December 1995 and the Uphar cinema tragedy in Delhi on June 13 1997. Every year one or the other fire incident happens in our country. But we seldom get alert. After the incident, some inquiry is constituted and the victims are given some compensation, that’s all.
Recently, in the United States of America, nine people died of fire in a building during a reveling party in California. Such fire tragedies happen in other parts of the world also. News of this kind of fire tragedy keeps coming from Mexico and Brazil.
Few years ago, more than hundred young boys and girls lost their life in a fire blaze in a club that was being run in Shanghai.
The civic bodies across the country should have taken lessons from the tragedy of Upahar cinema in Delhi. But the corrupt bureaucracy and administration refused to learn anything from the human tragedy in Delhi. The civic bodies remain apathetic to the tragedy of Delhi; why talk of other cities.
One should not be surprised if the death of 14 people in Mumbai fire will meet the same fate. Had any such tragedy happened in any other country, the government of the day, the civic bodies would have been booked for criminal offence. Cases would have been lodged against them in addition to penalty running into millions. There could also be a possibility of change of government in such cases in other country. But here, a few statements and messages are enough to bury the incident in cold storage,
After the Uphar tragedy, every year there are long reports and articles in newspapers on lapses and criminal negligence. There are some comments in news channels, but our government and the civic bodies are not affected. For administration it does not matter. There is no change in the work culture of the government and the civic bodies.
The proprietors of Uphar cinema, the Ansal Brothers ultimately got relief from the Supreme Court. After losing both her children in the tragedy, Neelam Krishnamurty is left with the pain after waging legal battle in courts for years.
No one is concerned except those who suffered the most in the tragedy; who lost everything in the world. Government, the Delhi Municipal Corporation, NDMC and BMC collect huge tax from public but the agencies are not responsible for the loss of life and property of the citizens.
There is striking similarity in the fire tragedies of Mumbai and Mandi Dabwali in Harayana. In all these incidents, many people died in the stampede after the fire broke out. This happened because the exit point was only one and narrow in the place of occurrence.
In Mandi Dabwali, some programme was going on in the school. Large number of school children, their parents, guardians and other invitees were seated in the pandal. There was short circuit and the fire engulfed the entire place taking the people into its flame. In free India, that was the biggest tragedy since no fire incident had taken so many casualties in the past.
In Uphar cinema audience had gone to watch film Border. There was fire and the theatre was filled with smoke. When people inside the theatre tried to exit they found all doors closed. Doors were not opening despite several attempts to open them. Fifty nine people lost their life in the tragedy.
People with Stone Heart
But some new and horrible facts came to light in the Mumbai fire tragedy. It also shows how the society is becoming insensitive to such tragic incident. It is now learnt that but for the drunkenness and mad fashion of ‘selfies, life of many people inside the pub could have been saved by rescuing them from the blazing pub.
In Delhi’s Connaught Place, some 150-200 pubs are running. People go there in week days, in weekends and on holidays to revel. Who will take the guarantee that there would be no incident like Mumbai in these pubs of Delhi. Another question is should the administration alone be held responsible for any such tragic incident, perhaps not. At least they can’t be held wholly responsible for such fire incident.
Leave aside the case of Uphar but in Mandi Dabwali and in Mumbai, besides the administration those people who were running the show, the organisers and the owners of the pub are also responsible for the fire tragedy. Why there was only one exit point, Did the organisers realize that in case of any incident how so many people would exit from single point.
In a residential society of Delhi, there was fire in one apartment, The Fire tenders were called. But it was a herculean task for the fire tenders to reach the place of fire because the society management had shut two of its gates since some construction work of a temple was going on. In the second gate the fire tender could not enter because hundreds of cars were ya Sparked on the way. Many of car owners were not present in the society to remove the cars. Obviously, the fire tenders could not reach in time and many lives were lost in the incident. In the Uphar cinema tragedy also there was delay in fire tenders reaching the theatre because of traffic jam; it is a common sight in Delhi today. Why fire tenders even Ambulances carrying patients in critical conditions are stuck some time in traffic jams.
Do something to avert tragedies.
(The writer is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha)