By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter
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Relatives carrying the coffin of seven-year-old Spanish girl Isabel, who perished in the fire at the Villaggio shopping mall in Doha on Monday, during the funeral held in Campo de Criptana, Ciudad Real, Spain, yesterday |
Worried residents are also raising their concerns over gaping safety holes at many of the country’s shopping centres, where big crowds are a regular feature.
In the wake of Monday’s tragedy, the public feels it is high time the civil defence authority ensures with regular drills that everything concerning safety is in place at major shopping centres and schools.
Some city schools are requesting the civil defence department and other private agencies to carry out drills to impart safety lessons to their wards. At least two of them have already reached agreements with the department to conduct at least one mock drill each in their premises before they close for summer holidays towards the end of next month.
“A specialised local team to deal with emergencies has agreed to conduct some sessions on safety and security on our campus shortly,” said an official at Birla Public School which moved recently to a new location in Mesaimeer.
An officials at another Indian school said they are also exploring the possibility of drills at regular intervals.
The city residents who spoke to this newspaper felt people debate such issues only when untoward incidents happen. “Most people are indifferent to such vital issues like health, safety and security. However when tragedies do happen, they discuss it for a few days and afterwards everything as usual is conveniently forgotten,” said a resident in a densely populated city locale, which has witnessed a number of fires over the last five to six years.
About six years ago a major fire at a house in Najma claimed the lives of seven Nepalese expatriates working for a computer dealership. But people continue to reside in the same ramshackle building which was devastated in that fire.
“While there is nothing wrong in debating the cause of the fire at the Villaggio, one also needs to prepare the country’s residents to face such eventualities in future,” said a mall manager. Fires like the one on Monday could strike any mall at any time, especially during the summer, he added.
People pointed out that the interiors of many of the country’s shopping centres are congested and if a fire did occur, especially over the weekend, it would have disastrous consequences.
Some of the city residents who are more vociferous in their demands and concerns on safety inside malls said many city shopping centres have compromised on this vital issue and their stairs have little space for people to move about.
Residents also feel while most malls have appointed several managers to take care of many of their requirements, they have ignored safety completely. “Most of them have outsourced safety to companies which have absolutely no experience in handling untoward situations,” pointed out a trader whose company in Industrial Area was once gutted in a major fire.
In one shopping centre, many people are unaware of the presence of its lone and narrow staircase to reach the first floor as almost all visitors to the place are using the escalator.
In the wake of the latest fire, people have made strong demands for wide stairs inside malls. “People think of the utility and necessity of normal stairs only when incidents occur,” said a Western safety expert who has been in the country for about a decade now.
People have also complained about the lack of emergency exits at most malls, especially at levels other than the ground floor. They say the priority at many shopping centres is beauty rather than vital issues like safety. “There is hardly any crowd management, especially over the weekends in some of the malls,” said a city resident, who has stopped visiting shopping centres over the weekends.
The latest tragedy is a warning to operators of many malls, including those at different stages of construction.
“I hope some builders would at least consider giving more importance to safety in the future,” said a senior engineer.