DailyPost 2952
BANGALORE – A CLOSE AND SHUT CASE!
All of us have seen the visuals of the collapse of a seven storey building in the recent deluge in Bangalore, the deaths, the rescue operations and not to forget the cases and the accused. Can anybody dare to guess as to how many buildings currently existing would have indulged in the same level of illegality, irregularity and criminality? Are we waiting for other buildings to fall? Is criminality directly connected to disaster, casualty, injuries et al.? The lame duck explanations being strewn all over the media and the strict action contemplated and declared, does not cut ice with anyone.
Enactment of law proposed as a quick fix solution, which does not mean anything as we are not short of laws, SOPs, approvals, inspections, audit and penal action provisions. If the powers that be decide to book someone, the pace at which the action follows, is not unknown to anyone. We are all aware of the administrative capability to use bulldozers to bring down any illegal construction in no time. Are such actions only to show the might of the state? The story of the infamous Noida twin towers is not old. If the Supertech towers had to bite the dust, rest are much lesser mortals.
The issue is how did all this happen in the first place, the shameful impact of which the Bangalorean’s had to experience in the last few days. What spectacle have they made of India’s tech capital, where every technology, plan and drawings are failing to move out of the drawing boards. Ditto for roads, drains, parks, sewage, footpaths and what not? Everything seems to have been compromised. Not to forget the fire tragedies. Now we come to the crux of the matter, how and why have the regulatory authorities allowed it to happen? There are a sufficient number of officials on the ground to take care of each of the activities which these tasks entail?
Criminal collusion is the biggest threat to the growth of this nation with every single city going haywire. Bangalore has recently implemented AI enabled cameras, leaving aside its impact for the time being, we can use AI to fix the accused of the “Bangalore Mayhem” – the real ones – the regulators. They are of every variety, rank, direct / indirect and what not. If artificial intelligence based model were to shuffle between all documents, data, drawings, visit dates, inspections, validations, audit and clearance; all the connects, patterns, inconsistencies, acts of commission / omissions with evidence would be out. All data driven. Then all criminal acts would be conspicuous and proven. This is what we call as close and shut case and law taking its own course. There would be no need for enquiries, committees, new laws and the like. If this were to happen how many of the municipal authorities would not fall on the wrong side of the law, is known to them and also the Bangalore citizens. Single owners and contractors cannot create the Bangalore we have today, it is a relentless concerted effort of the ecosystem with all stakeholders gaining out of it. The system can bulldoze anything, as it stands today. Is civil society action imminent?
WILL THE REGULATORS AND THE VESTED INTERESTS ALLOW BANGALORE TO THRIVE AS A GOLDEN GOOSE OF THE INDIAN TECH DREAM?
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice day.