India is surely heading towards a disaster. We have been observing that for many years politicians have been busy filling their own pockets at the cost of tax-payers money. All of us are aware about it and want to take steps to improve the situation for a better tomorrow. We always fail to take initiative not because we don’t want to waste our time and remain busy with our lives but due to some other reasons too. All of us suffer due to some or the other reason and the ignorance have made it even worse.
Every day we notice some or other incidents. A minor ignorance has claimed the lives of several students. The sightseeing trip to Himachal Pradesh turned tragic for students who were swept away by gushing waters of Beas as discharge of water suddenly increased following its release from the reservoir of 126 MW Larji hydropower project. Why did the authorities release the water without issuing any prior warning? Being lazy and lethargic while discharging their duties have claimed the lives of many youth.
A simple check list of do’s and don’ts before hitting the shutter button would have rescued 24 lives. The lazy workforce must be replaced with capable and hardworking officials. Do the political class have time to think beyond filling their own pockets? It is unfortunate that even after 48 hours no official announcements has been made about the process to be followed in the near future whenever the water is released from the dams. If the state does take initiative then the centre can frame some guidelines about this issue.
In 1988 the same strategy was issued to release water for tackling militancy in Punjab. Water was released from the Bhakhra-Nangal dam without issuing any prior notice as the incident claimed the lives of thousands of people and animals in Punjab. When the central government adopts these kinds of tactics to suppress people what do you expect from them?
Authorities should issue warning to people residing in low-lying areas before releasing water from dams. One can only hope that better sense and concern for human lives on the part of the authorities to avoid such tragedies in the future. My heart-felt condolences to the families of the youngsters. We are still not sure whether similar incidents won’t recur in the future.
