mid-day editorial: Don't let fear claim more lives

In a city like Mumbai, space is everything. Here, people cling to crumbling, old buildings not because of nostalgia, but because of the very real fear that once they let go, there might not be a home to come back to.

At the dilapidated Mahadev building in Bhiwandi as well, residents were aware of the danger they were in but refused to vacate their homes when the BMC tried to evacuate them on Saturday. Yesterday's front-page report in this paper states that the tenants requested the police to give them time till Sunday noon to vacate the building. But fate had other plans, and tragedy struck early on Sunday morning, when the building collapsed and claimed eight lives.

Some of the tenants in the building were to shift to another place that very day, some just a few hours later. But as this tragedy demonstrates, instead of waiting till the ninth hour, it is wiser to shift as soon as there is a warning of danger. In fact, as soon as the danger notice is issued, residents need to start looking for alternatives in double quick time. Having said that, one can only appreciate the difficulty of finding a new home - even a temporary one - in a city like Mumbai. Here, we must emphasise that perhaps relatives or even close friends could show some kindness and empathy and take the displaced victims in.

Often, there is a reluctance to move into transit camps, which may be very far from the building or lack basic facilities. This is a difficult decision, but surely one has to choose hardship over probable death. At the same time, there must be some reassurance for residents who are naturally apprehensive that they will lose their homes once they leave them.

It's also worth noting that if buildings were repaired in a timely fashion at regular intervals, they would never reach such a dangerous point. All tussles about redevelopment, taking over property post-demolition and other skirmishes and fears simply waste time and, sometimes, that could mean paying with your life.