Bombs that exploded on our face - A reality check!

“Cheat me once, shame on you. Cheat me twice, shame on me.” I heard that from someone long time back, and yes it still hurts. Yes, as a nation we might as well say the same line to our politicians, but if we feel that they might get hurt enough to act, well we would be naïve. For we have been cheated quite a few times and well nothing really has happened.

If there is an undertone of sarcasm and pessimism in the first paragraph, it is because that is my state of mind. It is because ‘we Indians’ (I hate using this phrase) characterized by our lethargy and indifference (‘chalta hai’ attitude) coupled with the fact that we are as corrupt as our politicians are, have given a safe haven for terrorism to flourish. The term ‘we Indians’ includes me and I am as responsible as are the rest of us.

Let me begin with a few examples of egregious neglect by the authorities concerned. All of us must have heard the news about the CCTV cameras at Karol Bag NOT WORKING. Also, the CCTV cameras at Cannaught Place (CP) were installed to observe, not record. Does this surprise you? No, I guess not as government authorities are just living up to their image of being impotent! However, for the naïve, let me sight the next example that will elaborate how our system works against the safety of common people.

This example was narrated to me by a CEO of an engineering company who I met on one of my business calls. As you maybe aware, as per government specifications every shop and public place such as cinema halls is supposed to be fitted with water sprinklers. The law is strict and if implemented would have augured well in case of tragic events such as Uphaar Cinema case where so many innocent lives were lost. One would imagine that lessons would have been learnt from the Uphaar Cinema case. However, the reality is that status quo exists. The CEO was on a business call with the owner of a public place that was supposed to fit water sprinklers to adhere with the government notification. During the discussions meant to finalize the terms and conditions, the owners demanded a margin and insisted that the engineering company need not install functional sprinklers and can rather just install a cheap version that need not work. In return, the persons concerned demanded a hefty margin. They gave two hoots about precious lives that maybe lost in case of a fire. The industrialized refused to do the work under such conditions not only because it would have been unethical, but also because he did not want to face responsibility the way Ansal Brothers did in the Uphaar Cinema case. (Though I am confident that the Ansal Brothers will walk scout free, just as the likes of Sanjay Dutt)

So in case you are wondering how and why the CCTVs installed at Karol Bag were not working, the case above will tell you why! Someone would have made riches at the cost of innocent lives that were lost.

It is important to have strict laws, rules, and regulations, but at the same time perhaps it is more important to that they are implemented properly. It is the implementation and not only formation of laws that will result in tackling the menace of terrorism. A case in point would be the example about the Indian drivers who flock to the Middle-East in search of better quality of life. These drivers, who on Indian roads are nothing less than merchants of death, mellow down when they drive in the Middle-Eastern countries. The same drivers, who break traffic rules with impunity in India, suddenly adhere to every rule and regulation in the Middle-East. It is surely not because of stricter rules and regulations in the Middle-East, but because of stricter implementation. As a result the drivers are aware that not adhering to rules will result in heavy penalty. It is important that we have laws that are sacrosanct and that the authorities responsible for their implementation have the powers to implement them without interference from the bureaucracy and the politicians. However, we all know that neither the bureaucracy, nor the politicians have the will to act.

To conclude, you and I can keep cribbing to our graves, but unless we thinkers become doers and start demanding action from the authorities concerned, nothing really is going to change. Our politicians and bureaucrats are a reflection of us as it is we who have voted them in power (ideal term should be responsibility). Sadly, they cheat us more than the terrorists bomb us. The worst part is that there is a little (sadly in many cases big) politician in all of us!