Foreboding start to 2018

The fact that two such gruesome accidents have happened so close to each other sounds a warning ball

My last column of 2017 was cautiously optimistic about how the city would fare the next year. But that was belied even before the previous year had lapsed, what with the fire in Kamala Mills that left 14 people dead.

Rail roko at Dadar railway station in Mumbai on Wednesday. (Bhushan Koyande/HT)

Compounding the tragedy, protests and riots broke out in the new year, revealing deep caste fissures and fault lines in the state’s social fabric.

Mumbai felt the tremors too, making the start of the year foreboding. Life came to a virtual standstill on Tuesday and Wednesday as protests and sporadic violence sprung up in various parts of the city.

The issue appears to have greater ramifications in other parts of Maharashtra, and unless tackled judiciously and expeditiously, could snowball into a major crisis for chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The opposition is bound to tear into the government. BJP ally Shiv Sena has been doing this consistently for the past three years, so the attack on the chief minister will come from all quarters now.

Since the 200th Bhima Koregaon celebration was planned well in advance, it must be asked of the CM why matters came to this pass? How did the situation spiral out of control unless there was laxity in ensuring law and order?

Homilies and assurances aimed at mollification, which the CM has been doling out, have limited value. Without the core issue of massive Dalit disaffection being addressed, long-standing peace will be difficult.

As serious as this matter is, where Mumbai is concerned, it should not obscure the Kamala Mills calamity as this is particularly representative of maladministration.

Yes, the fire was an accident. For forensic reasons necessary to the investigation, finding out how the fire started is of relevance. But in a broader sweep, the crux question is why were no safeguards in place to prevent such a disaster?

A major part of the answer comes from the action taken by civic and police authorities in the aftermath, when more than a 100 eateries, either entirely illegal or with non-bonafide extensions, additions or repairs were demolished.

How did the authorities uncover such errant establishments so swiftly? And if they could be discovered so easily now, why was nothing done when these were coming up and needed clearances?

In fact, and sadly so, this is a no-brainer. Without the connivance of clearance agencies — the state, BMC, police and fire authorities — getting such establishments up and running would be impossible.

This can be for one, two or all three of these reasons — hubris-driven corruption, the doling out of personal favours, and ineptitude in due diligence — with regard to old, new or redeveloped structures.

By all accounts, several restaurants in Kamala Mills — and even on other mill lands reclaimed in Parel and non-mill areas across the city — were allowed to come up instead of the structures that were originally designated in those places.

To worsen the gross violation, many did not fulfil safety requirements deemed mandatory by law. One, two, three or all four agencies entrusted with the checks and balances have sought to go wink-wink.

This malady is not restricted to eateries alone. For instance, no audit was conducted of the Elphinstone Road footbridge for decades, resulting in the horrific stampede last year, which claimed more than a score of lives.

In the past 20 years, areas of Central Mumbai have become massive centres of work, residence and entertainment. Infrastructure at nearby stations, which has been neglected for so many years, stands testimony to lack of foresight and bureaucratic obfuscation.

The fact that two such gruesome accidents have happened so close to each other sounds a warning ball to the various authorities of the dangers that lurk in the everyday lives of the city’s people.

The blame for these ‘accidents’ will be assigned to various people in the days and weeks to come for sure. Some officials will have their heads chopped off, others will escape scot free. But the syndrome goes beyond the individual — the entire system is rotten.

The BJP-Sena rules the state and is in charge of the BMC too. The leadership of these parties can’t be exempt from accountability. Nor can the municipal commissioner, police and fire brigade chiefs who have huge powers vested in them.

They have to crack the whip now. Or face a public backlash.