Letters: Safety first

Apropos Sunanda K Datta-Ray’s article “Buildings and the block” (“Where Money Talks”, December 17), sending the directors of the hospital to jail is the only thing Mamata Banerjee’s government has done. Public memory is short. We will soon forget about AMRI hospital tragedy till another takes place.

Creating fire safety awareness is a difficult task because many of us believe that fire accidents will not take place in our workplace or houses. An organisation called Loss Prevention Association of India (LPA) was set up by the nationalised general insurance industry in 1977. LPA was involved in promoting various aspects of fire, industrial and road safety. It did some commendable work – conducting safety audits and so on – but, sadly, the organisation was wound up in 2007. There is still hope. There is an organisation called National Safety Council, which can be strengthened. Officials in charge of safety activities in industries and public utilities need to be properly trained and given enough funds to do their jobs effectively.

Narendra M Apte, Pune