In one of my recent blogs I had launched a scathing criticism against our rulers and bureaucrats for their penchant for acting on the spur of the moment. Uptill now, when a tragedy of immense magnitude affects our nation - means our citizens - these leaders and bureaucrats sit transfixed or in modern parlance "fevi-kwiked" in their cosy seats cherishing and relishing happy moments. Many tragedies had befallen us, still befalling upon us like thunder-bolts affecting the very foundations as also the conscience of the nation.
Even on terrorist menace, communal clashes, religious fanaticism, natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, droughts, to be precise, the volatile climate cycle and the most important of all needing urgent attention, the rampant poverty, even starvation deaths, malnourishment, women's empowerment, the plight of farmers across our country, raging unemployment, lack of educational facilities,sanitation facilities, millions and millions of homeless Indians living on the street-sides and railway platforms - the nation literally is crying aloud inviting serious and immediate attention from those at the helm of affairs who round the clock with a hubristic mind proclaiming before the world the high growth trajectory pointing out high GDP rate (Gross Domestic Product) and sky-rocketing stock-market indices, their yardstick for rapid development and progress of a country. Those renowned dignitories like Koffee Annan, the former UN Secretary General, often remind these nations including India not to use the yardstick of growth in Gross Domestic Product growth only to judge the welfare of the people since GDP growth turns absurd while teeming millions still reel under poverty and starvation deaths. To finger-point this anomaly we don't need a Koffee Annan or Amartya Sen, a common citizen is more than sufficient. Even while the advises of men and women of Global stature are not taken into out, we can very well assume the reaction of a a common citizen.
The latest UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) reveals a stark and shocking truth. Out of the 169 nations selected for evaluation of Global Development Index, India occupies the 119th position. The neighbouring Sri Lanka occupies 90th position. When it comes to the question of women empowerment India comes behind Pakistan with 79th position and 82nd respectively. Still harping on the growth momentum without any qualms, put it simply is ridiculous.
Even while taking not much interest on matters seeking urgent care attention and remedies on a war footing, no meaning at all in taking up cudgels against our ruling elite, when a five-storeyed building comes crumbling down, swallowing hundreds of poor lives and injuring hundreds and hundreds of people. Poor lives are always affected badly, as the buildings they often occupy are built by irresponsible elements greasing the palms of baboos and these licenseless building owners extract huge sums of money from the labourers, leading a precarious existence there as they have nowhere to go. As a result, the nation is left with nobody worth mentioning owning up responsibility of taking up maintenance works of these kinds of dilapidated buildings.
In Mumbai, where I was fortunate to spend a few years, I did get numerous opportunities of witnessing lots and lots of multi-storeyed buildings crumbling down or collapsing like a pack of cards needing urgent repairs and maintenance inhabited by lower middle class families and labourers who were pulling on there under sub-let basis or lease agreements. These buildings had and still have ugly looks with their walls, windows and doors grimy and turned into dark-yellowish broken here and there too broken and dirty, mind you, all such buildings old, some centuries old needing perpetual care and atleast yearly repairs and maintenance but nothing of that ever happening and authorities never caring to notice them even. Ugly public toilets, water scarcity, not at all looked into by the authorities concerned. Still the poor middle class citizens and the labourers spend their lives, precarious lives with the Sword of Democles hanging over them or pretend to be oblivious of it as they have no other way out. They hold on to the the last straw till the great thunder striking those buildings forcing them to crash down followed by the pall of gloom visits them at any moment.
During my days in Mumbai I was unfortunate to learn about the collapse of such buildings, killing and maiming hundreds of occupants.
Since the terrorist threat, bomb explosions and sabotage were unheard of then nobody had got the opportunity to squarely put the blame on the militant outfits like LeT(Lashkar-E-Taiba), Jaishe-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen as they were imported to the city in later years. Otherwise the leaders could have found a villain behind such incidents thereby washing hands a la Pilathos. Most of the building collapses occur in the rainy seasons the moment nature gives vent to its fury through rains, storms and hurricanes. The century-old multi-storeyed buildings unable to withstand such forces tend to collapse turning into a heap of rubble. Disaster Management of any kind is not being taken upon in time and that contributes to the aggravation of the casualities. Disaster Manager must be put in place round the clock even before the tragedy befalls and those entrusted with the responsibilities of the proper maintenance of dilapidated buildings should be accounted for the lapses on their part. Sadly no such steps are being initiated even after unfortunate incidents visit one after another.
The other day in East Delhi at Lakshmi Nagar, a five-storeyed building inhabited by poor labourers collapsed resulting in the loss of 65 lives and injuring hundreds and hundreds of dwellers. The incident was attributed to the inundation of Yamuna river as a result the water pilfering into the weak foundation forcing the whole edifice to crash down. Had disaster management authorities come to the ill-fated site in time, the magnitude of the calamity could have been reduced, sadly such an arrangement was nowhere seen even in the vicinity.
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