Condolences not enough in odisha

On January 29, a bus fell off a bridge in the same district killing nine people.

The life of a common, faceless Odia seems to be dispensable. It also comes very cheap, worth about `2 lakh. That’s the ex gratia the Odisha government announced for the next of kin of each of the 10 people who were electrocuted when the bus they boarded came in contact with a 11 KV supply line in Ganjam district on Sunday. All the passengers were on their way to a prewedding ritual when the vehicle brushed a live power cable dangling right on the road, leading to the fatal mishap. The state administration’s response has been cold and smacks of profound apathy.

The transport minister was quick to wash his department’s hands of any responsibility and blamed the energy department. A day later, the energy minister suspended four engineers. Measures including a sensitisation campaign to prevent such mishaps have now been taken up. Odisha was the first state to initiate power sector reforms in the country and the state government has spent hundreds of crores in the last 25 years. Hit by natural disasters with an alarming frequency, it has lost key energy infrastructure and invested more in restoration. But Sunday’s incident shows that even the man walking on the street is not safe. And the matter would likely die soon.

On January 29, a bus fell off a bridge in the same district killing nine people. A probe was ordered. A week earlier, five women labourers were mowed down by a speeding car in Sundargarh. It is now as good as forgotten. During 2019, over 5,300 people lost their lives in road accidents in the state. Most such incidents end with a simple inquiry, a gentle shuffle in the lower echelons of the administration where it does not rock the powers that be. This is not how it must pan out.

The masses who have voted this regime to power again and again must not get lip service in the name of sound governance. Condolences and notional compensation will not do. They deserve a serious and, more importantly, a responsive administration. That would be a real transformation for the Naveen Patnaik government.