No more mundkas value citizen safety

No more mundkas value citizen safety

Last week's fire that started in a commercial building in West Delhi's Mundka area claiming 27 lives and injuring others is another in a long list of avoidable tragedies that this country shrugs off as 'accidental'. It was, yet again, the outcome of the failure of authorities to do their duty -enforcing the norms that keep people safe. India's urban centres are replete with structures and buildings that fail to meet basic safety norms. Those responsible for the Mundka blaze must be held accountable to ensure that regulations are complied with beyond their current cosmetic purpose.

Norms for building heights, fire safety, water access, vehicle parking are drawn up to ensure safety and provide for contingencies in every civic-minded society. Unfortunately, it is civic-mindedness that is lacking in 2022 India where atavistic 'concerns' are seen as being more important than the need for genuine protection for the citizenry. The 15-year-old Mundka building did not have clearance from the fire department. Multiple authorities, at the local and state levels, should have acted to ensure compliance. They did not. June 13 will mark 25 years since the Uphaar tragedy. The similarities with the Mundka tragedy are obvious - inadequate fire safety measures, a single exit point, and people trapped.

Adherence and compliance to rules ensure the safety and well-being of citizens. It is the duty of authorities to ensure compliance. Their failure, be it negligence or greed leading to collusion, undermines a rules-based modern society that an aspiring $5 trillion economy should start becoming. Punish those who looked away, colluded with local potentates, those who profited from it. Avoid another Mundka by valuing the safety of one's citizenry.