While the
whole of India had one thing to cheer for yesterday since morning- the India vs
West Indies Semi Final match, Kolkata experienced a massive disaster! A flyover
in the making since 2009 collapsed during lunch hours in the heart of Kolkata
on a busy street. The mishap killed more than twenty people and injured several
others who were trapped inside the debris for hours and were finally rescued by
the disaster management force and the Indian army.
Naturally
the mishap is a grave concern not only for Kolkata or West Bengal but to the
entire nation. A flyover, that has remained incomplete since 2009, comes
crashing down on people at the heart of the city, trapping cars and killing
people, and all we can do is wait and watch the sad clippings in the news. No
wonder, the disaster management force and the Army, as usual, did a commendable
job working overnight to rescue the trapped people while the entire nation
enjoyed a terrifying semi-final cricket match on the TV.
But, the
real question that lays here is, who is to blame for the loss of so many lives
and property? All the people who lost their lives to the mishap or were
severely injured by it and are fighting for their lives in hospitals were
innocent people like you and me, who were out on the roads probably to buy
stuff, get to work or simply enjoying a short walk after lunch. Unfortunately,
they were struck by ill fate and had to lose their lives! And who is
responsible for this loss? Well, no one takes the accountability, of course!
When asked
about the mishap, the builders of the flyover quoted the accident as an ‘act of
God’. Oh, I couldn’t be more surprised over that explanation! It is like, I
make a cup of coffee, accidentally put salt instead of sugar, and then blame
God for it! If the builders or the company who supplied material for the
flyover’s construction doesn’t take accountability for the accident, who
should? It could not be termed as a natural disaster, of course, for it was not
an earthquake, a flood or cyclone. It was an accident, a mishap that has
obviously occurred due to discrepancies in its work and a hole somewhere in the
system.
When Chief
Minister Mamta Banerjee was asked about the mishap, she very cleverly and
easily blamed the previous Left government for giving permission to construct
the flyover that was reportedly being built in a residential area. So, dear Ms.
Banerjee, if that was the case, why couldn’t any action be taken against it
once your government came into existence in the state? The flyover has been
reportedly lying unfinished since 2009 and Mamta Banerjee’s government came
into power in 2011. Why was no attention given to the incomplete flyover then
that stood unfinished in a crowded area in the heart of the city? Why were
everyone’s eyes closed on it through all these years?
No one wants
to take responsibility for the serious mishap and people are attempting a blame
game. Of course, that’s not something uncommon in India! We have always seen
politicians playing that dirty blame game, keeping at stack the life of common
people like you and me. This one is just another instance! Nor do the builders
want to take accountability for the accident because it was an ‘act of God’.
And what happens to the families of people who lost their loved ones in the
mishap? Who will compensate the people who lost their cars or any other valued
possession in the tragedy?
All
questions remain unanswered as always. The only thing we can do is pray for the
safety and recovery of the ones injured, sympathize with the families of the
ones who lost their lives and dwell in cities with the constant fear of losing
our lives to an ‘accident’ or an ‘act of God’!
No comments:
Post a Comment