Bharat – surakshit or viksit?

Not that I believe in a glitch in the matrix or a year coming back full circle in the sense that 1941 (a year of calamities) has exactly the same calendar as 2025 – but one must ponder over and then work harder!  On an aside, the constant refrain that I get from my fellow lawyers across the globe is that we have adequate legislation but poor implementation of that legislation.  This time the Sunday Zoom call arguments centred about effective tackling of the many disasters that befell India.  The striking two events that boggled many of the brighter folks were the Pahalgam attack and the Air India crash.  The Pahalgam episode showed absence of security at a vulnerable area and the Air India crash clearly showed a lackadaisical approach of the authorities turning a blind eye to a woe-struck airline ever since it came under government control, as also problems manifesting even after it went private! 

The first half of 2025 has been gruesome for India, which has been experiencing a series of tragic events, including stampedes, a helicopter crash, a blast in a firecracker factory, as well as the two above-mentioned sordid sagas. In January, a stampede at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj caused the deaths of at least 37 people, with several more injured.  It was the day of Mauni Amavasya, where millions of devotees engage in an elaborate, ritual bathing to experience the sacred confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers.  This stampede highlighted and indicated lapses in abilities to handle crowd management and ensure safety protocols.  Over 500 million people participated in the event and, despite extensive planning, the system crashed, leading to a catastrophe.  February witnessed a stampede at the Delhi Railway Station, resulting in 18 deaths including women and children.  These people were on their way to the Kumbh Mela.  To add to the misfortune, on that very same day, in Prayagraj, a speeding SUV carrying 10 people who were going to the Kumbh Mela, collided head-on with a bus.  The impact was so strong that all in the SUV were killed instantly.

In April, there was an incident of a fire in Gujarat, in which a firecracker factory burst into flames due to a boiler explosion. As many as 17 workers were trapped and killed, indicating critical lapses in industrial safety protocols and general safety measures. 

Then, 22 April witnessed the gruesome act of terrorism in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, in which armed terrorists opened fire and ambushed a group of Indian tourists, including a Christian from Indore and a local Muslim guide who tried to defend the victims. This triggered ‘Operation Sindoor’ in retaliation, in which several terrorist hideouts across the border were completely destroyed.

In June, a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, during the RCB victory celebrations, led to 11 people dying and 47 getting injured in the rush, caused by overcrowding and poor crowd management.  There was chaos outside the stadium, leading to people getting asphyxiated at the entrance/exit gates.

But 12 June was perhaps the most tragic, witnessing a horror that shocked the nation, when Air India Boeing 787 flight crashed in Ahmedabad. Out of 242 passengers, 241 perished, with the death toll rising to 275, when death of residents near the crash site is included. This incident is being termed as one of the worst aviation disasters in Indian history, prompting the Tatas to open a Rs500 crore Trust Fund for the victims, including major compensation to the family of each of the victims.

Later, on 15 June, a helicopter crashed in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand, in which seven people died.  Reports say that the aircraft was flying from Kedarnath.  This route from Kedarnath has always been riddled with safety issues and this disaster was imminent – thanks to the ineptitude of the authorities concerned.

Thus, the first half of this year has been full of uncertainties.  India reels under a cascade of unexpected and mind-boggling tragedies. Several questions are being raised about infrastructure, readiness, safety and emergency response systems and the capabilities of authorities – both at the state and the Central level to anticipate problems and manage large-scale public events and threats.  Now, as the rains hit Maharashtra, many of its parts may soon be in turmoil, inundated not only with water but with electricity in flooded areas leading to electrocutions – more often fatal.  But that is a given and Mumbaikars are resilient to it!  How can we really aspire to be a developed nation, if we cannot keep our people safe?  Are we doing enough? Many Indian states do not have their own disaster management plans, due to scarcity of resources. 

Considering these problems, disaster management has to consolidate three mutually reinforcing areas – disaster preparedness, response and rehabilitation management. The government of India, through the ministry for home affairs had signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme in August 2002 for the implementation of ‘Disaster Risk Management’ Programme to prevent vulnerable natural disasters in identifiable disaster-prone areas.  Its primary goal was to reduce a ‘Natural Disaster Risk’ in some of the most hazard prone districts.  One could argue that this pilot programme takes care of ‘natural disasters’ like floods, storms, earthquakes or tsunami.  How about non-natural man-made disasters like fire or air-crashes?  Till date, people do not know how effectively the agreement has been implemented. 

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the supreme body responsible for stipulating policies and guidelines, whereas the ministry for home affairs (MHA) is the nodal ministry for disaster management.  The prime minister heads the NDMA.  The chief ministers head the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) set up at the state level.  The Disaster Management Act, 2005, provides the legal framework for disaster management in India, creating a multi-layered structure for an effective response and disaster mitigation.  The NDMA has curated the National Disaster Management Plan, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in reducing risks for the same.  The bodies constituted under the act are duty-bound to prepare databases of disasters, conduct periodic checks of preparedness including providing technical or financial assistance to ensure a swift response to any disaster. 

Unfortunately, India, despite systems in place, hasn’t been able to respond effectively to calamities – natural or otherwise.  The past six months are an eloquent testimony to the fact that, despite heavy police personnel, crowds still gather to an unforeseen extent.  One can still possibly understand the Kumbh Mela episode but the one outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium would be unthinkable in any developed country.  If we compare it to the recently concluded Wimbledon, several matches are going on in different tennis courts at the same time, but not once do we see a crowded caféteria or an exit point.  The immaculately dressed gentlemen and ladies come out as elegantly dressed in creaseless suits as they walked in with. 

Look at countries like Japan and the US. They tackle disaster management differently.  Japan believes in national-level planning and public awareness through drills and education, whereas the US relies on a federal response system.  In Japan, there is a circle at the start of the footpath so that when a child wants to cross the road, he/she stands on that circle and the cars stop, waiting for the child to cross; and he/she bows in acknowledgement.  It is not that difficult to at least put up a circle on streets where there are no signals.

The recent floods in New York hardly brought the Big Apple to halt, reporting only two casualties.  People went about their chores and the suspended metro services began operations the very next day.  Emergency measures included instant arrival at the affected areas, escorting the old and the very young to safe places, suspending the metro services, so that people do not get drowned underground. 

According to the UN reports, India still continues to be the fastest growing major economy.  How about corporates ensuring that a relevant percentage of their 2 per cent CSR activities are focussed on disaster management – looks viable to me.  Despite India being in the limelight since January 2025 for the wrong reasons, one sanguinely hopes that we continue to develop exponentially while, at the same time, trying to mitigate disasters, prevent obviously expected catastrophes and concentrate more on Make India Safe, rather than Make India Great!