0.1603
900 319 0030
x

Fire Accident in Mumbai

iasparliament Logo
December 30, 2017

Why in news?

  • A late night fire in a roof-top restaurant in Mumbai killed 14 people.
  • This calls for a thorough probe and stricter enforcement of safety regulations.

How can such situations be dealt?

  • Current Case - Ensuring the accountability of owners, managers, and agencies concerned and punishing for those guilty should be a high priority.
  • It would be wrong to categorise deliberate acts as instances of mere negligence as there seems to be intentional safety violations.
  • Further, immediate monetary compensation and other forms of support is to be provided to the families of the dead and the injured.
  • Holistic picture - While the rooftop restaurant fire killed 14 people, a week earlier 12 people were killed in an industrial fire accident.
  • Increasing frequency of such incidences is proving to become a catastrophe and enhancing the safety of building is now a pressing compulsion.
  • A full-fledged crackdown is hence needed to determine all building safety violations in Mumbai and official connivances needs to be penalised.

What are the expectations from the trial?

  • A professional analysis of fire tragedies involves assessing whether:
  • Possibility of igniting was actively reduced
  • Provision was made for controlling the spread of fire and smoke
  • Design was compatible for occupant escape and fire-fighter access
  • Structure was potent to avoid a collapse
  • Hence, the Maharashtra government must ensure that its inquiry captures all these parameters and that the subsequent judicial process is not prolonged.
  • Ensuring a robust prosecution and invoking stringent provisions against the guilty are important to win people’s trust in the state machinery.

What are the troubling realities?

  • The absence of strong laws, accompanied by slow criminal justice processes has made a mockery of justice.
  • Rampant bureaucratic and political corruption has also contributed to the brazen violation of building norms.
  • Sadly, a system of special schemes to regularise buildings with such violations for a fee is also noticeable, which is tantamount to legalising death traps.
  • Also, many court orders issued to ensure public safety remain mostly on paper.
  • On the whole, these issues have to be dealt with in its entirety to ensure a safer nation with reduced risks from manmade tragedies.

 

Source: The Hindu

Login or Register to Post Comments
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to review.

ARCHIVES

MONTH/YEARWISE ARCHIVES

Free UPSC Interview Guidance Programme