The value of human life has diminished to zero!

Hinal MehtaSY.IMBA

Tragedies, intentional or accidental, are slowly and by great measures diminishing the value of human life. Nature is unpredictable. Natural disasters cannot be controlled or can they be? We are enthusiastically contributing towards the depletion of nature which in turn is causing climate shift, global warming, landslides, etc. We are responsible for natural disasters too, let alone manmade catastrophe.

Political games, terrorism, fighting in the name of religion, irresponsible behavior of the authorities, scamming the money that was meant to raise the living standard of people or for infrastructure are all contributing towards diminishing the value of human lives. People are dying and we engage in blame games

Yes 1. SUM hospital tragedy: 24 people died in fire

at the SUM hospital in Bhubaneswar due to negligence in safety measures. The entire ICU and dialysis ward turned into a blazing hell as patients undergoing treatment got embraced in the slow pain of fire. The government authorities ignore the fire safety norms that are supposed to be strictly followed. Sheer negligence over value of human lives!

2. Flyover collapse: Just a few months back in March, 21 people died and over 60 got injured as a flyover collapsed in Kolkata. It was direct mismanagement on the part of government contractors and supervising officers. The construction was left delayed for quite a long time while it got washed off facing the extreme weather conditions and to top it up the material used in the construction was found to be of low quality. Money scamming on the expense of human lives!

3. Kerala temple fire: A firework display that did not get permission earlier due to well calculated safety reason was later given the green signal by the Kollam collector to the Puttingal Temple authorities. The firework led to a massive explosion at the temple, claiming the lives of more than a hundred people. Political power over common sense is what took the lives.

4. Yet another fire at hospital: AMRI hospital in Kolkata witnessed the charring of about 90 patients when fire broke out in December 2011. The reason was found to be the most common one, ignorance of fire safety measures. To make the situation worse, there was a lot of delay in calling the fire department for help. Covering up was the basic intention until it got out of hand!

5. Midday meal killed children: A Bihar government-run school that was to serve midday meal to poor children took lives of 23 children. The reason was found to be contamination of food by pesticides and organic manure. When government promises to help the poor, they should at least ensure that the intention is not just publicity and show off but proper care.

6. Making issues political: A person dies, a family loses its member, but all that the media and authorities worry about is using the death to raise fingers at some or the other party. A youth commits suicide and parties indulge in blame game instead of pondering over the reason that could have forced the youth to think there was no way out.

7. Protecting religion: Women of a certain religion are fighting their rights to live freely and to get justice from the orthodox rules that allow men to divorce them over social media but the religious boards are concerned about protecting their religious interests. The government looks at this as an opportunity to play sympathizer. Is this what lives of women are valued at?

No 1. Better investigation: Tragedies happen for

whatever reason, intentional or due to irresponsibility. What is worth noting is that the investigation procedures have considerably improved. Justice might be delayed but it is not denied. The wrongdoers are taught the lesson of their lives, sooner or later. India might have been silent for long but the surgical strike across border has shown that we are not going to let the lives of our soldiers be lost for nothing

2. Better help: A call for help is not ignored these days. For whatever reason someone or the other offers a helping hand. There are NGOs, social workers and agencies that are willing to hear you out and show you the right direction in getting the required help. For depression, there are free helpline that are willing to hear you out and help you against taking steps like suicide.

3. Freedom of expression: You can always look upon social media to spread the details of any incident where justice was denied to you. Social media has started working wonders these days. Those who harass women in public are no more tolerated, given that the woman takes the courage to voice her pleas instead of retreating into shell.

Value of human life is not diminishing, crime certainly is increasing. To fight off the crime, the police department is employing all sorts of measures like surveillance cameras and round the clock calls for help facilities. There are special provisions for women and children. Let’s not get carried away by only the negative news but also applaud the authorities for their positive efforts.

THANK YOU