Ignominious Fame!

Human nature, very strange and I am not an exception. I was more Indian while living away than living in India. The same theory can be applied to my state too, yes, I was more Bong during my thirty years when I stayed in different states than last few years while I am here. While away, I was always hungry to get a piece of news from my place and often travelled distances for a newspaper. Nevertheless, the sorry state of my city and state was and is in I never found a news or something that could have excited me. Whenever it made to the headline, it was for different wrong reasons and current one too not an exemption. Two horrible tragedies back to back brought Bengal on the limelight. First, it was there for fire at AMRI and then India’s worst hooch tragedy.

Most the private hospitals in Kolkata are here only for business and hardly do anything for the patients beyond there business interest. It is sad that the people goes to a hospital to ease out their pains and ends up dying there for some other reasons. The incident was occurred only for the negligence of the hospital administrations.

AMRI Fire

How come a hospital of this stature could operated so long from a place like it is situated. Under any emergency situation, it has hardly any space to get in or out. It seems the accident was due for long so it happened. The hospital is co-founded by some big shot, the Emami & Shrachi Groups along with the West Bengal government in 1996. The hospital, once rated as amongst India's best, is located in the fairly upscale Dhakuria neighbourhood.

On December 9 , the pre-dawn fire broke out at 3.30 a.m., catching many in their sleep. While most nurses, doctors and other staffers were able to get away, many critically ill patients suffocated to death in their hospital beds. The tragedy unfolded over many hours. Some were suffocated, some were too infirm to escape the toxic fumes. The lucky few were brought down the side of the four-storey glass facade building using ropes and ladders, even as thousands watched in horror. In the worst fire tragedy in any hospital in India, 91 patients and staffers were killed  when a terrible blaze engulfed its annexe building early Friday, trapping dozens of helpless patients while doctors and  staffers fled to safety.

Hooch Tragedy

In less than a week after more than 91 women, men, and children died in a disastrous fire at the AMRI hospital in Kolkata, illicit brew has claimed the lives of about 171 people, at Sangrampur in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Preliminary reports indicate that the hooch was sold in sachets, priced between Rs.7 and Rs.20, virtually opposite a police post in the area. Starting with a couple of deaths early in the morning, the toll kept rising through the day and touched 80 by daybreak next day. Most of the victims complained of body pain, stomach cramps, vomitting, and a burning sensation. The health authorities diagnosed the early deaths as due to “cardio-respiratory failure” arising out of methyl poisoning. Evidently, licensed liquor sold through the legal retail system was out of the reach of the poor, who fell into the trap of the hooch trade. At last report, about a hundred victims were in hospital, most of them said to be recovering. So far 171 people have died.

So, loss of 262 lives for different section and for different reasons but both are man-made disasters. It is high time for Mamata Banerjee to stop blaming others and try to improve the infrastructure in West Bengal. Matter of fact Bengal lacks any sort of infrastructure. Only talking rubbish is not solution,  stop talking and try to do the justice and faith of the people who elected her.

Both incidents are two of kinds as poor died due to their addiction and others rather very helpless condition but surviving members of the families paid heavily.

!!!In death all are same, be it rich or poor, cannot value a life in two different scale.!!!