Dear Ms Dikshit,
In the wee hours of Sunday, pillar 67 of the under-construction Delhi Metro over-bridge at Zamroodpur collapsed. Most of us were asleep and had no reason to go anywhere near it. Not so, for the people toiling away on it so that the rest of us Delhiites could enjoy a better future.
6 people died, 15 were injured. Whats new? We are a developing country. This kind of a thing happens all the time. If one adds up numbers from the past, the Delhi metro alone has killed some 10 people and injured around 70.
Is quite predictable what will happen next: A few PILs. An ‘inquiry’ that shall take months to complete. Live broadcasts of idiots in the opposition trying to leverage this as an “issue” on Doordarshan (Thats one channel we want our money back for, even though its free). In media and public memory, this issue will only last for 72 hours. Can’t seem to help it. Life’s too fast!
But what next? Yes, we know Mr. Sreedharan has voluntarily resigned. To be fair to him, he was only trying pull this off in a hurry because of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, a crazy deadline which has blighted everyone involved.
We know you’ve promised to take ‘appropriate action’ against those responsible, and announced a compensation of 5 Lacs. While all that is fine, is it really enough?
When a nation is in a hurry, innocent people pay the price. Sure, It was all for a good cause: a better Delhi, a capital that we can be proud of. Only that the aspiring somethings from Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, UP or God knows where else, didn’t have a clue about what they died for.
But that doesn’t mean that 10 years from now, we shouldn’t have a clue about what went into reinventing this glorious city. As a token of respect to those ‘inconsequential’ people trying to help execute the vision for the Delhi of the future, we appeal to the authorities to build a memorial in their names.
Commonwealth games will come and go. And come again. But Anshuman Pratihar, the fine engineer, Budan Singh from Bihar, 18 year old Niranjan, Bhan Singh will not.While crores of rupees are being spent on statues of politicians, is a memorial for these disposable heroes too much to ask for?
While we leave Ms. Dikshit to mull over that, if you consider this worthy, please join the cause.
