The recent tragedy when the Firework store caught fire in Puttingal Devi Temple in Kollam Kerala, killing more than 100 people and injuring many more, has resulted in people calling for a ban on fire works during temple festivals in Kerala.
This is knee jerk reaction. Caprisoned elephants and Fireworks during Temple festivals are part of our centuries old culture. With families getting fragmented, it is these festivals that hold people of an area together and the bonding during these festivals are perhaps the last of the remaining links that connect people to their native place, especially those who have migrated, who make it a point to visit their home town during the temple festivals every year without fail.
If we go by the logic, then we should not allow any vehicles to ply on the road, as road accident death numbers in Kerala are mind boggling - approximately 4000 per year!. Nor should we allow any flights to take off, as we saw at least 3-4 planes crashing/missing killing all on board during the past couple of years worldwide. Ditto with train accidents.
The root cause of the accidents like the unfortunate one happened in Kerala or the stampedes in various temples we hear from time to time, has to do with our utter disdain for Safety Regulations.
I am not a great fan of Western Countries, but on Safety related issues (especially pertaining to Public Safety) they are
top class and we need to emulate them.
Look at most of our temples. Most of them don't have any sort of emergency evacuation system. In Guruvayur, one can't get out of the barricaded queue even if one wants to. I don't thing a fire drill or an emergency evacuation drill has ever been undertaken there. Sabarimala is another similar case, but at least here, people can get into the nearby forests quickly in case of any untoward incident. Most of our temples and for that matter Public Places can tell a similar story.
The Fireworks related accident would not have occurred if the storage shed was cordoned off, and only authorized people allowed to enter. In our temples, during festivals, the crowds are allowed to walk freely, and one can see people crowded around Storage sheds and smoking in the vicinity, a sure recipe for danger.
The Fireworks contractor can be asked to disclose the materials, their quantity and given permission accordingly. I am sure this is being done in a routine manner. But someone from Explosives department should have been there to ensure only permitted quantity and items are allowed inside the storage shed.
Assigning designated areas for crowds to move around with enough space for emergency evacuation, volunteers trained in Emergency Response Systems, can go a long way in avoiding future disasters.
The need of the hour is an attitude change and this has to come from within all of us.
The Government do not want to do any of the above as it involves lot of work for its employees. Banning is an easy solution, which serves no one in particular. Even for that they expect the Judiciary to take the lead, so that the Government can wash their hands off the whole affair.
They know the Public have a short memory and this too will pass.
It shouldn't.
Let each one of us take the lead in making our homes and neighbourhood Safety Conscious.
