Up in flames

Sir ?The tragic fire in Meerut is not the first of its kind, nor will it be the last (?Mass pyre at Brand India fire?, April 11). To prevent the recurrence of such accidents, large gatherings must be avoided. In a crisis such as this, crowd behaviour is often unpredictable. Earlier, trade fairs were meant to bring producers and buyers under one roof to increase the sale of consumer goods. Nowadays, with almost all such items available on the internet, these exhibitions have become redundant.

Yours faithfully,
C.V.K. Moorthy, Bangalore

Sir?The enormous structure built for the consumer fair in Meerut had only one entrance, which also served as the exit.Worse, it was covered with plastic sheets which are highly inflammable. Therefore, the organizers of the fair should shoulder the blame for the tragedy. Had they built a bigger entrance, provided fire extinguishers and safe electrification, the disaster would have been averted. Many people were lured to the fair by the hefty discounts on electronic goods, but they ended up paying a high price. It is time that consumers learnt a lesson from this incident and boycotted at least a couple of fairs, thereby sending a strong message to negligent organizers. A policy of forgive and forget will simply not work when it innocent lives are at stake.

Yours faithfully,
Teesta Dasgupta, Siliguri

Sir ? It is an irony that the scramble for discounts ended in a ?mass pyre? in Meerut. This tragedy and its precedents such as the Kumbakonam school fire in Tamil Nadu in July 2004 prove that we live in a country with no security of life for ordinary citizens. However, are we not to blame as well, given that we pay bribes to get our plans cleared without implementing adequate fire safety norms whether in densely populated residential areas or in open spaces as in Meerut? The death of 55 people within a few minutes testifies to the blatant violation of safety norms by the organizers of the fair. Mere ordering of a judicial probe, even the arrest of those responsible, along with the suspension of local government staff, and visits to the spot by political leaders do not improve conditions. With the passage of time, memories will fade and things will be back at square one. One only hopes that the sacrifice of 55 lives will not go to waste.

Yours faithfully,
Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

Sir ? It is fortunate that the Meerut case has been referred to the Supreme Court since the incident smacks of criminal negligence and conspiracy. The district magistrate is reported to have said that he was unaware that the organizers had flouted the basic rules of safety. How can this be possible when the man himself was present at the inauguration of the event? The role of the fire and power departments is suspect and they may have a lot to do with the tragedy. Nobody ? including the media ? seems to have paid any attention to the possible lapses that led to the accident. Very few people raised objections over the use of air-conditioners and the lack of emergency exits? The state government seems to have been looking the other way even as the disaster was waiting to happen.

Yours faithfully,
Shiv Shanker Almal, Calcutta

Sir ? It is unbelievable that the tubular structure that housed the fair in Meerut was covered with inflammable cloth, and that there was only one exit at the venue. While it is obvious that the organizers did not take permission from the fire department, what is more shocking is their attempt to play down the gravity of the incident. The government should order an immediate inquiry to look into this accident to find out who is responsible for the tragedy.

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari, Calcutta

Sir ? The air-conditioned tent that housed the fair at the Victoria park lacked the requisite number of exits and the one that was available was covered with combustible material. One wonders what makes event-managers prone to such disastrous lapses. Going by the inability of government departments to learn from similar instances in the past, one fears that incidents like the one in Meerut may soon become a part of our lives.

Yours faithfully,
Arvind K. Pandey, Allahabad

Sir ? The chief minister of Uttar pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, has ordered an inquiry into the cause of the fire that gutted the electronics goods fair in Meerut. However, it is obvious that the fault lay with Mrinal Events and Expositions, the company which had organized the fair. Such criminal negligence on the part of the organizers calls for exemplary punishment. The state government must take a tough stand against influential companies and their representatives for making a travesty of government regulations and the rules for public safety. The chief minister should also find out whether his own officers were aware of the fact that the fair organizers had not sought the necessary permission from the fire department. All that Mulayam Singh needs to do is leaf through the files to determine the lapses. But all this is a case of too little, too late. A will and a little alertness could have prevented this major disaster.

Yours faithfully,
P.K. Bhattacharjee, Calcutta

Sir ? Mohammad Javed?s death is the most poignant epilogue to the Meerut disaster (?Teenage saviour of six in Meerut dies?, April 14). The teenager?s valiant effort to save six children from the inferno proves that youngsters today are not lacking in courage and determination. Although there may be many precedents to Javed?s act of bravery, the fact that he risked his life six times to save the lives of children should earn him a place of honour in public memory. In addition to the routine compensation, the government should name an award for bravery after this teenager.

Yours faithfully,
Surajit Das, Calcutta

Sir ? It is most unfortunate that people continue to lose their lives in major fires in public functions. The latest example of this is the incident at Meerut. Perhaps, it would be a good idea to stringently ensure that fair organizers obtain a clearance from the fire department before organizing events where the number of participants is likely to cross the 500-mark. Even a multistoreyed building needs to follow fire safety norms. So what is stopping the government from passing a similar law in the case of public events such as fairs?

Yours faithfully,
Mahesh Kumar, New Delhi

Parting shot

Sir ? I am a big fan of Mohammed Kaif, but even then, I think that the current criticism against this out-of-form batsman is quite valid (Kaif?s poor show embarrasses BCCI?, April 14). ?Resting? Kaif for the last match against England must surely have given him a chance to analyze his failures. It would also be a good idea if Rahul Dravid pitched in to help Kaif with some batting tips. That would help him get back among runs.

Yours faithfully,
Ashish Kumar Singh, Calcutta