Put human life first while fixing structures

Rescue operation underway after the collapse of a suspension bridge over the Machchhu river, in Morbi district. Pic/PTI

There have been bridge collapses in the city and the Morbi tragedy takes us back to the dark days when innocent citizens perished as infrastructure gave way due to some reason or the other. If there is something, it is the takeaways from tragedies, the lessons that should serve as cautionary tales and constant reminders for us.

The Gujarat disaster must teach those at the helm to be doubly careful and put human life first. Infrastructure that has been recently repaired - and this is not just bridges - must be thoroughly checked by experts before being opened for public use. The agency contracted to undertake repairs must be absolutely top class and the work, a reflection of that. How many times have we seen facilities that are shoddily repaired being opened too soon for the public? In fact, at times, these structures fall apart a couple of days or even hours after their inauguration.

Infrastructure of any kind cannot be overloaded, as one is inviting disaster. If one is lucky, one can carry on unscathed for a while, but that luck is sure to run out eventually and a tragedy is bound to occur. Facilities have to be used in accordance with their structural limitations and the load they can bear.

In the eventuality of a tragedy, this is reactive, the proper persons have to be caught, not the little fish in the middle of the system, who have no decision-making capacity and are not directly responsible for things going awry. Those with power and money cannot get away. It is a shame that we tout development and bagging huge projects, when our basics and existing facilities seem to be giving way at a huge cost, as Morbi has proven. All the tears for those lost can fill up the lake below that bridge.