Mumbai, June 5 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) on Friday alleged that the recent fire tragedies in a Delhi hotel and a hospital in Bihar, which claimed several lives, have again exposed “entrenched administrative rot” in governance.

In its raging fire, it said, the lives of ordinary citizens are being reduced to ashes like camphor.

In the regime of those who boast that “Desh Badal Raha Hai” (The country is changing), nothing has truly changed, it said.

The Thackeray camp, in the party mouthpiece Saamana editorial, said that there is darkness under the very lamp of those who, in the country, roar “I will not let anyone take bribes”. That is why unauthorised buildings are collapsing in one place, hotels and restaurants are catching fire in another, and hospitals are burning elsewhere.

By citing “short circuit” as the usual excuse, owners, operators, and the ruling authorities are brushing off their accountability for these disasters. Now, the government will take superficial action and make someone a scapegoat, the editorial stated.

The editorial also stated that while the country is already reeling from the wildfire of inflation, lives have been lost in fire incidents. The casualties claimed by the blazes in the capital city of Delhi and Bihar are shocking.

“While it is true that disasters or accidents happen suddenly, looking at the causes and nature of the tragedies in Delhi and Bihar, the rulers and the administrative machinery cannot evade their responsibility. The revelations coming to light after both these disasters put the irresponsible and sloppy governance of the BJP in Delhi and Bihar directly into the dock,” it remarked.

According to the editorial, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary have, predictably, ordered “in-depth investigations.” They have roared assurances of strict action against those found guilty. The Delhi Home Minister went a step further, ordering the immediate sealing of all establishments violating the guidelines of the ‘Bed and Breakfast’ (B&B) scheme in Delhi.

“But what will this achieve now? Will it bring back the innocent lives lost? It has become a pattern: first, feast on the corruption within the ‘B&B’ scheme, and when a tragedy occurs, execute arbitrary crackdowns, stage a drama of inquiries, and once the public anger cools down, leave the common citizens at the mercy of fate to die again,” claimed the editorial.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit further alleged negligence in maintenance and inspections, and said compensation to victims’ families is often used to deflect accountability.

“The rulers will offer a monetary balm of compensation to the kin of the deceased and distance themselves from the blame,” it said.

–IANS

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