Politician-builder nexus snuffs out lives of poor
The building that collapsed in Thane district this past Friday had all the ingredients of a disaster waiting to happen. It was an unauthorised construction that was being shoddily built by unscrupulous builders who had no right to the land on which they put up the weak structure. The builders, who have been detained, also had no moral compunction in stuffing their building (which was still under construction) with poor people who would serve as human shields in case the Government decided to demolish the structure. In fact, the occupants of the ill-fated building were living there for free (they only had to pay for electricity) and were expected to vacate the space after construction had been completed. Entire families, desperate for a concrete roof over their heads, had moved into what was clearly a death trap. But that is not all. The building, which should have stuck out like a sore thumb, was also callously ignored by Government and law enforcement authorities across the board who, quite possibly, were hand-in-glove with the builders. Nothing else explains how an unauthorised seven-storey building could possibly have come up over a period of three to four months, and also be occupied, without attracting any attention at all. For example, how come the building had electricity supply and water connectionsIJ Also, the building was reportedly being constructed on land that belonged to the Forest Department. So, how is it that Forest Department officials did not object to itIJ Or were they oblivious to this blatant case of land grab or, worse still, working in collusion with the buildersIJ Similarly, the building had no permits from the Thane Municipal Corporation which, if Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is to be believed, had even sent stop-work notices to the builder. In fact, a notice was sent out by the corporation as recently as March 26. The construction continued despite several prohibitory orders, and the municipal officials took no significant action.
Now, after more than 70 people have lost their lives and scores injured, the authorities are busy pointing fingers at one another. But when the building was soaring high, each one of these officials had turned a blind eye to it. Therefore, it is only in the fitness of things that the officials should be held accountable for their gross dereliction of duty. Punishing a senior babu here and a low-level functionary there, as Mr Chavan has done with the suspension of a Deputy Municipal Commissioner at the Thane corporation and an inspector at the local police station, does not help matters at all.
The big fish have to be caught — in other words, alongside the criminally callous babus, their political bosses must also be brought to book. Make no mistake: A building such as this could not have come up without the blessings of the political leaders. Moreover, let there be no doubt that, had the unauthorised building not collapsed on Friday night, it would have eventually been regularised by local politicians, desperate to gain a handful of votes. Illegal constructions are being regularised all the time across the country. After all, when poorly-constructed illegal buildings can be later regularised by a Government order, why should anyone bother to follow rulesIJ