A fire that broke out at a coaching centre in Lucknow has jolted the Mathura administration into action. Coaching centres operating without permission across the district are now facing scrutiny. On BSA Road alone, hundreds of such centres run without any permission or registration, and the net is finally tightening around them.
The Lucknow fire has once again raised the same old question: how long will such tragedies keep repeating? After every major disaster, the same familiar picture emerges. Compensation is announced for the families of the dead, high-level probes are ordered, strict action against the guilty is promised, and news of a few officials being suspended follows. But is that really enough?
The fault lies with the system, not one person
If a building lacked adequate firefighting arrangements, if construction norms were ignored, and if the concerned departments failed in their oversight, then the responsibility does not rest on a single individual. It rests on the entire system. The bigger question is why the rules are suddenly remembered only after a tragedy. Were such buildings not already on the radar of the authorities?
The unfortunate truth is that the matter cools off after a while. Investigations drag on, accountability gets blurred, and public attention drifts to some new issue. Meanwhile, the affected families are left alone with the pain of losing their loved ones. The sensitivity of any society is not measured merely by the amount of compensation it hands out, but by how seriously it works to prevent such incidents from happening again.
What is needed is not just immediate action, but fixing accountability, enforcing construction and fire safety norms strictly, and ensuring time-bound action against those responsible. If every tragedy is followed only by grief, compensation and assurances, it raises a question mark not just on the system, but on our collective memory and sensitivity as well.
A late awakening, and a sudden inspection drive
Following the Lucknow blaze, the Mathura administration's deep slumber was finally broken. In a hurry, teams from the Fire Department and the Development Authority, led by City Magistrate Anupam Mishra, reached the coaching centres operating near BSA Engineering College for inspection. The moment word of the team's arrival spread, most coaching operators downed their shutters, locked up and fled. Of the centres that were inspected, some were sealed.
The administration showcased its action, but the question remains the same: why does the administration wake up only after a tragedy strikes? Had strict measures been taken earlier, the situation might never have spiralled out of control.
Once the heat fades, the old pattern will return
The reality on the ground is that these coaching centres were running without registration and without a fire NOC. City Magistrate Anupam Mishra said directions had come from the government to seal illegal coaching centres. But when asked why action is taken only after an accident, he could offer no satisfactory answer.
Near BSA Engineering College, most coaching centres and libraries operate in basements with no arrangements to handle any emergency. The fear is that the issue will stay hot for four days and then fizzle out. After that, illegal coaching will continue near BSA College, and the district administration will keep going through the motions in the name of action.
