Civic governance must prioritise public safety

Public safety has to be prioritised above all else in civic governance, and culpable officials penalised for negligence

The death of a young man on Friday after he fell into a pit several metres deep, dug up for Delhi Jal Board (DJB) work and left unsecured and uncovered, comes just weeks after another young man drowned in a water-filled ditch in Noida when he drove off the road on a foggy night. In both instances, the callousness of State agencies and public apathy is self-evident. If the Noida tragedy was a result of bad road design, poor signage, and inadequate securing of the construction site, exacerbated by poor visibility, the DJB (and its subcontractor) is answerable for failing to adequately barricade the pit and cover it. This is not mere negligence, but dangerous unconcern that seems endemic among State agencies which either fail to foresee the consequences or, worse, leave it to chance when they are engaged in construction, repair, or maintenance of public works. Who is to teach them the primacy of public safety, the precious value of human life, and what death does to the victim’s family and friends!

The DJB (and its subcontractor) is answerable for failing to adequately barricade the pit and cover it. This is not mere negligence, but dangerous unconcern that seems endemic among State agencies (Hindustan Times)

At the DJB site, onlookers reportedly walked away without initiating any rescue — some even took pictures and shot videos. This mirrors the apathy of those, including the rescue personnel, who watched the victim in Noida drown after desperately pleading for help. While a case has been filed against the contractor and DJB officers — supervising engineers have been suspended — the focus also needs to be on protocols that must be in place to prevent such accidents. It is not just pits and ditches that are death traps, but missing drain and manhole covers, dug-up pavements, steep speed bumps, hanging live wires, etc, also endanger life on our streets. A sweeping safety audit, sensitisation and training of personnel are urgently needed. Public safety has to be prioritised above all else in civic governance, and culpable officials penalised for negligence.