Delhi building collapse: It's wrong to blame governments. We must learn to live in smart cities
The sky over Delhi of late has been showing some serious signs of delinquency — raining and shining unannounced, uninvited. Those who share the sky also as the roof over their heads have been complaining that it has become really moody. No one knows on which side of the bed the sun would wake up the next morning.
But, on Wednesday morning, the sun shone blindingly bright over Delhi. As everyone got ready to live another day of their busy lives in a busy city, some could hear a loud noise. But it wasn't loud enough to reach everyone's ears.
It was a five-storey building that collapsed in northwest Delhi.
Soon, news flashes on TV and some headlines in the next morning's newspapers announced:
Delhi building collapse: Seven dead, Kejriwal orders probe
Delhi Ashok Vihar: 7 Killed As 5-Storey Building Collapses in Delhi's Ashok Vihar
Seven dead, five injured in Delhi building collapse
Just to make things clear, those 'seven' were seven people. Yes, but who has the time and space to mention that. Poor people in India are just numbers, anyway.
These 'seven' could have been anything. Let's imagine the same headlines differently for a moment.
Delhi building collapse: Seven buckets crushed, Kejriwal orders probe
Delhi Ashok Vihar: 7 window panes smashed as 5-storey building collapses in Delhi's Ashok Vihar
Seven bulbs fused, five still flickering in Delhi building collapse
Good fun, isn't it?
So, when the news of the death of the 'seven' reached us, we weren't shocked. We knew this was coming.
In fact, in India, we wait for buildings to cave in. Just like we wait the entire year for festivals like Holi, Diwali, Ganpati, Durga visarjans and all other government holidays, so that we can move on with our lives till the next time. So, we need another collapse to generate some more noise and jobs.
Buildings, flyovers and other public infrastructure in India are built to collapse. The sooner they collapse, the more jobs they create. Unemployed people get rescue operation work and opportunities to clear the bodies and debris, contractors get new building contracts, hospitals get more patients, media gets more news, bureaucrats get new probe panels, crematoriums get more bodies.
A win-win situation for everyone.
There is a different kind of modernisation project going on for years now in our country — smart cities within cities with various kinds of housing and infrastructure schemes. The only pre-condition to be a beneficiary of these 'smart cities' is — poverty.
Just like international cities see a total makeover before the Olympic Games or, say, a FIFA World Cup, our cities are also undergoing a facelift. We call it the modern art of multi-storeyed buildings sprouting up overnight. The hungry, unclothed poor are the mobile graffiti art that help the walls of our cities adorn a colourful look.
Those living on the other side of these walls, unfortunately, can't see the good work. They simply don't have the aesthetic taste to appreciate buildings that are specially designed to collapse into dust clouds. Not many lensmen, unless in war zones, get to capture such 'breathtaking' sights — dreams and deaths trapped in rubble and ruins. Oh wow, such award-worthy captures.
The building that collapsed yesterday was in northwest Delhi’s Sawan Park, near Ashok Vihar Phase 3.
Before turning into a pile of dust and debris, it used to house around 25 people from four families, living in the top three floors. The first floor was lying unoccupied for the past 20 days because the family living there vacated it due to the building’s dangerous condition. A shop operated from the ground floor but was shut at the time of the collapse.
The five-storey structure had over time become a brilliant work of architectural and contemporary art with a Leaning Tower of Pisa-like tilt. The tilted building was for some time leaning against a tree that had dried. Rain in the past few days caused the dead tree to fall on Wednesday, after which the building also came crashing down. It crashed on a four-storey building.
Some reports say a police complaint was lodged about the building being dangerous on August 16, 2017, and civic body officials had also inspected the building around 20 days ago. However, the NDMC denied that the building was declared "dangerous". It said it had not received any complaint against it. Expectedly, a mini political slugfest also ensued with the AAP govenment and the Delhi Congress slamming the BJP-ruled civic body for the tragedy.
It is hard not to conclude that there has been no government in India that ever takes people seriously. The governments do say they care and profess their love for us, wrapped in schemes that scream that they care. But their actions betray a totally different reality. And this indifference is the only crushing reality.
By the way, the seven human beings were Seema, 25, her two children Aashi and Shaurya, aged 3 and 2, Sumnesh Kumar, 12, his brother Rajnesh Kumar, 4, Munni, 40 and Laxman, 25.