The loss of 40 lives, mostly infants and young children, in two fire incidents in two parts of the country on consecutive days could be passed off as accidents but even a cursory look at the reports on them would reveal a pattern in them: a pattern of greedy businessmen ignoring the mandates of the law on people’s safety and the total negligence on the part of the agencies concerned to enforce laws that are made to protect human lives and prevent loss of property. The inexcusable Delhi hospital fire that has cost the lives of seven babies had exhausted its licence in March this year, and had no equipment or tools to fight a fire should they trigger. Normally, such an institution would require extra care and attention, especially since children, who cannot defend themselves, are the most vulnerable in emergencies.
And the intensive care unit for the babies, given its closed environs and the presence of oxygen cylinders in it, is a real cause for concern and would demand additional precautionary measures. A hospital which does not have the mandatory licence and qualified doctors cannot be expected to keep the safety of its patients at the top of its agenda. The authorities, who failed to institute a mechanism to ensure that institutions and business establishments regularly renew their licences after meeting the requirements of the law, which invariably include fire safety norms, are also to blame for the death of the innocent children.
As for the fire in the gaming zone in R.