A Lesson from the Tragedy on Park Street

Our office and I guess every other office in Kolkata is still buzzing with opinions and debates about the fire at Stephen Court on Park Street; finger pointing et al. I say it's a tragedy and let’s accept it. What could have been and should have been is all left to speculation. Let’s just accept that this is the tragedy that has occurred and how such tragedies can be averted in the future.

I say while everyone is pointing fingers at the Administration, what do us citizens do to avoid such tragedies. We are the one's trying to bend the rules to suit our own selfish needs; flouting building norms; saving every penny by not installing even basic firefighting equipment; so scared for our lives that we lock our selves into our little pigeon hole apartments, that when disaster does strike, we're locked in our own fiery graves; no basic knowledge of do’s and don’ts when caught in disaster situation.

When I look back in retrospect, imagining the thoughts going through the minds of the victims and for the few fortunate who survived from up on that ledge, I'd have jumped to my death too in all probability. Imagine having a raging fire in the room behind the wall you are backed up against standing on a narrow ledge nearly 100 feet high and looking down at a street filled with thousands of spectators, and a few brave people risking their own lives, who are making attempts to reach up to you by any and all means possible.

Well the thoughts going through your head at that point would make you believe that you are in immediate and grave danger and any second longer spent up there on the ledge would mean a certain fiery death. You’d also probably take your chances with gravity rather than fire.

So the first point of action in such situations would be crowd management. I’m not requesting the Administration or the Police for their abilities in crowd management, but conscientious CITIZENS to stand back, if they’re not going to be part of the rescue operations and let those trying to save lives get on with their business. Also by not being mere spectators and multiplying the fears of those trapped in these situations, trying to be resourceful and think of ways and means to be part of the rescue.

Oh the wishlist is quite utopian, but this is the real world and we have to live with some things, but I would like people to ponder on what I've said and see how they can change the way they react to situations and make the world a better place.