Delhi inferno should be an eye-opener

Even as the daunting memories of Uphaar Cinema tragedy that shocked the nation way back in 1997, in which 59 people were charred to death, are still fresh in the minds of people, an inferno at a factory in one of the clogged lanes of Central Delhi snuffed out 43 lives in the early hours of Sunday.

At a time when the country is undergoing tough times, these kinds of tragedies call for serious deliberations about the slackness of both our official machinery and the corridors of power alike.

It may be remembered in January 2018, a similar fire in an illegal firecracker unit in East Delhi gulped 17 lives and left several others seriously injured. It took 35 fire engines and hundreds of fire brigade personnel to scramble through the narrow lanes and highly populated residential areas to douse the monster fire in the Anaj Mandi area of Central Delhi neighbourhood.

According to reports, hundreds of illegal industrial units mushroomed in cities across the country, flouting all fire norms and cocking a snook at the authorities concerned. These illegal units have been often set up on the overcrowded outskirts of big and small cities, showing little concern for the lives of thousands of labourers who work and often stay in these factories.

In recent times, major cities including Mumbai and Madurai witnessed several fire mishaps, ostensibly pointing to the lethargy of civic officials in implementing fire safety norms. Hyderabad is no exception to such tragedies. In a recent hospital fire, a small baby was burnt to death, raising questions about the fire safety in several high-rise buildings in Hyderabad.

Most of these accidents occurred due to storing of inflammable materials, lack of proper exits and apertures and loose electrical wirings and switchboards. Hundreds of lives have been lost in these fire accidents as there is no proper mechanism for rescue operations. According to a survey, our country is at high risk of natural hazards compared to developed economies.

There has been an alarming increase in construction of illegal high-rises in recent times, without adequate built-in fire safety measures. In most of these accidents in commercial buildings, it is noticed that fire first emanated from storage and warehouse areas.

This shows our country does not have a proper fire safety audit to assess the safety of a building, leaving lives of hundreds of poor labourers at the mercy of almighty. Fire Service is included as municipal function in the XII Schedule of the Constitution. But unfortunately, most of the civic authorities and local bodies are often insensitive to such tragedies even after ill-fate struck several times.

The Fire Service, a very important emergency service, is in a bad shape in most the States without having proper resources and efficient machinery to ensure safety to its people. According to a study, 65 per cent of fire stations in the country are not efficient to tackle fire, an alarming fact. Ministry of Home Affairs itself confessed that in 144 towns with population over 1 lakh, there is a huge deficiency of fire-fighting infrastructure. This should change.

The governments should make sure such appalling accidents should not repeat. Ample financial assistance should be provided to modernise fire services in every State. This should be over and above higher states' allocation (42 per cent) recommended by the Fourteenth Finance Commission.

And last but not least, awareness should be created among citizens about fire prevention and protection. Every innocent life should be protected.