Inquiry into fire welcome, but we must be prepared

The fire broke out on its 18th floor. Pic/Bipin Kokate

A committee has been set up to inquire into the fire in a Tardeo building. The hugely tragic incident has been followed up by action. This committee has approximately 15 days to submit a report about the fire.

Investigations are necessary when such mishaps occur, to prevent recurrences. While one certainly hopes that this committee zeroes in on what went wrong in the building, it is understandable when citizens react with scepticism bordering on cynicism when committees, not just this one, are formed post any incidents.

Usually, it is important that the committee findings, if possible, at least the salient points, are in the public domain. It is vital that people know what action is taken once a committee submits a report.

In fact, one should take action after a report. Remedial measures and follow ups are to ensure that we find the faultline and then do not just sandpaper it, but obliterate it for good.

We have lost faith in committees because several times we see them meandering for months or years or simply fizzling out, making the exercise of forming a committee quite meaningless. This is not to say that every committee has been in vain. By and large though, this is looked through a prism as a cosmetic move and the larger public has lost faith in these inquiries and probes.

Moreover, committees need some timeline so that the investigations do not go on endlessly till the entire issue is buried.

This edit space has often pointed out how we, all of us collectively, seem to have a reactive mindset, not being prepared for any possible adverse event. Now, we must realise that what we take away and how we change after accidents are both a reaction, obviously, but also so that we are better prepared to scotch any chance of a repeat.