Disasters, disasters everywhere!

The fire tragedies in Rajkot and Delhi have yet again rang the alarm bells and made us realize our country's abysmally poor basic security records. The fact that seven newborn babies died in a fire accident at a children's hospital in East Delhi's Vivek Vihar adds to the gravity and tragedy of the incident.

It was on Saturday night that a fire broke out in Babycare New Born Hospital in Delhi. It remains a solace amidst the horror that the officials were able to save five newborns among the 12 from the clutches of fire.

In the Rajkot fire accident, among the 33 children killed; four of them were below 12 years of age. The fire broke out during welding works in temporary tin-roofed sheds. This centre was functioning without Fire NOC. Moreover, there was only one exit door in the centre. 2000 litres of diesel kept for car racing aggravated the whole incident.

The explosion of oxygen cylinders in the Delhi hospital added to the scope of the accident. It has been found that the centre for filling oxygen cylinders to other hospitals was also operating illegally on this hospital's premises. A compensation of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund has been announced for the families of the deceased infants and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.

Central and state governments need to take strong measures to ensure that such tragedies - especially in hospitals do not happen; also should take steps to ensure strictest punishment for those who have compromised security. Most importantly, conduct fire risk audits at regular intervals in places where people congregate, including hospitals, theatres, malls, auditoriums, stadiums, gaming centres and famous places of worship. Steps should also be taken to ward off the scope of bribery in this audit.

Three years ago, when fire accidents routinely shook hospitals in India, the Supreme Court issued a warning. It is alleged that the burnt hospital in Delhi was operating illegally. The local people had complained against the hospital several times, but the authorities cared less and had no time to be involved in petty disputes or allegations.

The information points out that the hospital neither had a registration nor a safety certificate. Earlier, the hospital was clouded in controversy after the CCTV footage showed a nurse beating a baby. A case was also filed against the owner of the hospital for threatening the parents of the baby to take back their complaint.

The owners of both the buildings in Rajkot and Delhi are special breeds who would compromise anything to pocket a big hunk of money. Many disasters can be prevented if the authorized departments perform their duties properly, including inspections.