<p>It’s a comment on the callous times we live in that it needed a tragic and wholly avoidable death of a teenager to wake us up again to the pervasive corruption and injustice. As old Bengalooru evolves into Bangalore and the simple, garden-dotted paradise for pensioners makes way for the metro, many things are being lost. Honesty in public life, integrity in personal sphere, transparency in governance and pride in professional responsibility are some of them. Also lost are civic responsibility and respect for others’ lives. For over two hours, young Sanjana was lying under the debris of a wall that was not supposed to collapse, but did. She was crying out for help, but strangely and sadly, none of the passersby noticed her, or if they did, would not help in the great new tradition of Bangalore. When finally she was rescued she was still alive. But it took time to reach her to the hospital, because the fire brigade and the rescue team were stuck in a traffic jam due to the traffic policemen blocking traffic in order to provide right of way to the VIPs driving down to attend the wedding a politician’s daughter.<br /><br />Why is it that the collapse of the retaining wall of government veterinary college, built by the BBMP not long ago causes no surprise? That’s because the pride that used to drive the builders in days that Karnataka was Mysore is history now. The administrators of BBMP are men of straw and the contractors carpetbaggers. The two between them have little concern or care for the lives or welfare of the citizens. That a huge wall could be built on a pipeline with no foundation and that such a structure could be approved by the sanctioning authorities indicates one thing: the venality in public life has now reached the proportions of criminality.<br /><br />The least that could be done now is for the Mayor to take the investigation into the episode to its logical end: The contractors involved and the officials who colluded with them for their thirty pieces of silver should be put behind the bars. And the government should urgently initiate an impartial safety audit of public buildings and structures. That will not bring Sanjana back to life, but such steps will at least prevent similar tragedies in future and will be a fitting epitaph for the girl whose dreams were cruelly cut short.<br /><br /></p>
<p>It’s a comment on the callous times we live in that it needed a tragic and wholly avoidable death of a teenager to wake us up again to the pervasive corruption and injustice. As old Bengalooru evolves into Bangalore and the simple, garden-dotted paradise for pensioners makes way for the metro, many things are being lost. Honesty in public life, integrity in personal sphere, transparency in governance and pride in professional responsibility are some of them. Also lost are civic responsibility and respect for others’ lives. For over two hours, young Sanjana was lying under the debris of a wall that was not supposed to collapse, but did. She was crying out for help, but strangely and sadly, none of the passersby noticed her, or if they did, would not help in the great new tradition of Bangalore. When finally she was rescued she was still alive. But it took time to reach her to the hospital, because the fire brigade and the rescue team were stuck in a traffic jam due to the traffic policemen blocking traffic in order to provide right of way to the VIPs driving down to attend the wedding a politician’s daughter.<br /><br />Why is it that the collapse of the retaining wall of government veterinary college, built by the BBMP not long ago causes no surprise? That’s because the pride that used to drive the builders in days that Karnataka was Mysore is history now. The administrators of BBMP are men of straw and the contractors carpetbaggers. The two between them have little concern or care for the lives or welfare of the citizens. That a huge wall could be built on a pipeline with no foundation and that such a structure could be approved by the sanctioning authorities indicates one thing: the venality in public life has now reached the proportions of criminality.<br /><br />The least that could be done now is for the Mayor to take the investigation into the episode to its logical end: The contractors involved and the officials who colluded with them for their thirty pieces of silver should be put behind the bars. And the government should urgently initiate an impartial safety audit of public buildings and structures. That will not bring Sanjana back to life, but such steps will at least prevent similar tragedies in future and will be a fitting epitaph for the girl whose dreams were cruelly cut short.<br /><br /></p>
