Making launch journeys safe

The reaction to launch mishaps usually follows a set pattern. As the press continues to run articles and reports on rescue operation and the victims, the government tries to address the crisis through a series of ad hoc measures; and there is some amount of playing to the gallery. But as soon as the initial gusto dies down, or is weakened by a fatalistic acceptance of what went wrong, all activities come to a halt.

So it has basically been a long tale of commitments and pledges made, but seldom fulfilled. Small wonder, the situation worsened with the passage of time. For example, there was just one launch capsize way back in 1980 resulting in four deaths, and 14 years after, in 1994, there were as many as 27 mishaps in which 303 people died.

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The commitments have not meant anything in practice. Nevertheless, we welcome the steps that the government is planning to take to ensure the safety of launch passengers. However, the decision to withdraw the 140 terminal staff members at a time sounded a bit like a move meant more for popular consumption than administrative reorganisation.

What we want to drive home at this point is that the system is more important than the torrent of ideas that decision-makers might hit upon on the spur of the moment. The existing system is flawed and it must be set right on the basis of a time-bound plan.

It would be unfair to put the blame squarely on all launch operators. There are both good and bad launch operators who cannot be treated alike. What is needed now is to find out a way of adding value and credence to the highly profitable launch business, which is passing through a crisis owing to mishandling of matters at various levels.