Death traps

The coaching centre in Surat proved to be a death dungeon for innocent aspirants.

Many deaths and several tragedies later, the menace of unsafe, hazardous buildings, without the most elementary fire escape features, continue to dog this country.

The next destination for such a tragedy is already in the queue as coaching institutions are running in a cluster of narrow lanes in many cities be it there in Surat or in Hyderabad.

These institutions disregard safety norms and operate from cubby holes.

The causes of each fire may vary somewhat, but at the heart of the matter is a history of indifference, callousness, cost-cutting, shortcomings in following norms and general apathy.

The government needs to wake up and look into this menace with alacrity.

J S Acharya, Hyderabad