Unaccountable lapse

At the risk of belabouring an obvious point, this case will set a precedent because it happened in the Capital, and because the people affected are, by and large, among the most empowered in the land. They are educated, reasonably affluent and largely well-connected. They are conscious of their rights and have the wherewithal to secure them 8212; in theory, at least. They have access to the highest levels of the administration 8212; again, in theory.

They are asking for accountability on loss of life. Yet the administration is reacting precisely as it does when it is called to account on trifles like non-existent tubewells, or land encroachment, or dysfunctional phone lines. If the administration can trifle thus with the people in Delhi, in the very heart of the administrative system, it bodes ill for the rest of India. The office of the Lieutenant Governor was created precisely for situations like this, when there is a breakdown of the system. He is invested with the right to take on moral responsibility and to force the administration to perform its duty. He is the only man empowered to cut through the bureaucratic bilge that the State has been serving up. It is a pity that the present Lieutenant Governor, for reasons of his own, has chosen not to exercise this right. Fixing blame should not be difficult in this case. The most obviously blameworthy have made themselves conspicuous by leaving the country in an unseemly hurry within hours of the tragedy.

There are other obvious culprits in the agencies which allowed the cinema hall to operate while it was patently unsafe. The administration as a whole must take collective responsibility for having achieved precious little on fire safety more than half a decade after the Fire Department declared hundreds of Delhi8217;s public and commercial buildings unsafe. Now, the ball is in the Lieutenant Governor8217;s court. He has to choose what sort of precedent he wants to set whether he wants to lay the foundation for an accountable State, or whether it will be every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.

Curated For You

Bigg Boss Kannada 12 Winner LIVE Updates: Ashwini Gowda, Gilli Nata and Rakshita Shetty vie for trophy

India vs New Zealand Live Cricket Score, 3rd ODI: Virat Kohlis ton in vain as India lose by 41 runs; NZ win series 2-1

Are Delhi-NCR schools shut on Jan 19 under GRAP 4? What we know so far for Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon