What happened in Satya Niketan, Delhi on Sunday afternoon, makes one angry and sad. A greedy landlord and a corrupt system took the lives of seven students.
Akshat from Katni, Madhya Pradesh, wanted to crack the Civil Services exam, Arpit from Dewas, MP, had returned to Delhi on Sunday after celebrating Rakshabandhan in his family, Yuvraj from Durg, Chhattisgarh, Abhishek from Sonbhadra, UP, and Pawan from Auraiya, UP, had come to Delhi with lofty dreams. They are no more.
Built like matchboxes on 50 sq. yard plots in former resettlement colonies; owners of these PG homes collect rent varying from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 from each student by providing bed and meals in dingy rooms. The building that collapsed had permission to build only a ground and first floor, but the owners extended it up to four floors.
The owner was nabbed from Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, after he fled from Gurugram. His wife was arrested and sent to jail. His son, who was managing the PG, is now in police custody. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta suspended five officials of Municipal Corporation of Delhi. These include a deputy commissioner, an executive engineer and a junior engineer.
But is this action adequate? Who will give solace to the parents of those students who died and those who are battling death in hospitals? For how long will the people of Delhi face such tragedies? Who are the real culprits? Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has promised to carry out a detailed audit of all such illegally built structures across Delhi.
She said, accountability of officials will be fixed. It is good that Delhi government is in action mode, but the ground reality is that, after each tragedy, actions are taken and it is back to square one. In the last four years, 133 such tragedies occurred in Delhi, 1133 buildings collapses and more than 100 people died. Actions were taken against erring officials, probe was ordered but construction of illegal structures continued.
Satya Niketan is not alone. There are many localities in Delhi chock-a-block with PG accommodation, like Mukherjee Nagar, Govindpuri, Sant Nagar and Rajendra Nagar. University students live in dingy rooms and the street outside are hardly three to four feet wide. In some localities, owners have built 7 to 8 storied buildings. These are nothing but invitation to disaster.
In localities adjoining big hospitals, guest houses have sprung up for relatives of patients who come from far and wide for better treatment. Chemist shops, diagnostic centres, dhabas and other shops have sprung up in these congested localities. Every rule in the building code book is violated. Fire incidents have occurred and the basement and ground floor of such buildings were flooded during heavy rains. These structures are ready to collapse anytime.
When disaster strikes, fire brigade and healthcare providers find it difficult to enter these narrow lanes. PG and guest house businesses run smoothly in clear collusion with local police and MCD officials. Builders and corrupt officials share the booty that is earned from students and relatives of patients.
Whenever tragedies occur, action is taken, but after a few weeks, it is back to square one. Merely, one-time action is not sufficient. A timebound masterplan is needed to provide better accommodation to students who come to Delhi for education.
Illicit liquor mafia: Who gives them protection?
In Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, the death toll in the hooch tragedy has gone up to 22, with nearly 160 people still battling for their lives in hospitals. Many of them are in critical condition. Most of them consumed liquor from a single brand.
Police have arrested ten persons, cases have been lodged against 20 accused. Methanol was mixed in place of ethanol to make this liquor, which, in itself, is a lethal one. Methanol is commonly used as a solvent for oil paint, as fuel, and for making other chemicals. An assistant excise commissioner, a district excise officer and excise sub-inspector have been suspended. Those suspended are not ready to accept their culpability.
These officials say, their job was to test liquor sold at government outlets, and it is the duty of local police to check if poisonous liquor is being sold. Like illegally constructed buildings, sale of illicit hooch takes place in collusion with local police and officials. The local mafia and officials make a killing, but people from poorer sections of society become victims.
It is good that the Madhya Pradesh government is now in action mode. Large quantities of illicit liquor have been seized from Gwalior and Indore, but these raids should not end. The action must continue. Since the turnover of liquor business runs into crores of rupees, the hooch mafia is strong. Consistent action against the mafia is the need of the hour.
In Gujarat, where there is prohibition, a factory manufacturing illicit liquor was sealed in Morbi. The owner was preparing liquor by mixing lethal chemicals and colour and selling them in empty bottles of branded whiskey by affixing fake stickers. Police seized nearly 400 litres of alcohol and several hundred litres of illicit liquor. 1,400 empty bottles of branded liquor and stickers of several popular brands were seized. The factory has been sealed and five persons nabbed.