Recurring tragedy

Students and teachers have lost their lives at a coaching centre in Surat. This tragedy was avoidable. The building’s lack of a functional fire escape heavily contributed to the loss of lives. This should not have been allowed to happen. The violation of essential safety norms and the flouting of building codes is a common thread in such tragedies, yet they persist. This is the third fire in a coaching centre in Gujarat in the past six months. Not enough was done to ensure safety at coaching centres, or residential facilities for students, that are housed in unsafe buildings. The lack of vigilance by the departments concerned points to a systemic failure, as well as the insidious role of corruption that permeates them.

Students jumped from the fourth floor, some were caught by the crowds and saved, others are in critical condition in hospitals. Why is it that we, as a nation, fail to take even simple precautions against fire and other hazards? It was thought that the 1997 Uphaar Cinema tragedy in Delhi, in which 59 persons died and over 100 were injured, would be a watershed in matters of public safety. However, tragedies continue and often buildings in which fires occur are found lacking even in basic safety requirements specified by law. A fire in a five-storey manufacturing unit placed in the middle of a residential area of Ludhiana had resulted in deaths of workers and even firemen in 2017.

Surat, Delhi or Ludhiana, the attitude remains the same — criminal negligence. The causes of each fire may vary somewhat, but at the heart of the matter is a history of indifference, callousness, cost-cutting, shortcomings in following norms and general apathy. Add to it corrupt officials who allow such wrongdoing, and you have a highly combustible mixture, just waiting for a spark. Public safety depends on the framing of proper codes for public places, as well as the enforcement of such norms. Besides, fire departments also need to be empowered with appropriate equipment to enable them to tackle such incidents and contain the damage when such fires happen. When will we learn?