Panic deaths again!

Let's have a look at the circumstances in which the three women workers perished. The fire alarm was reportedly triggered by an electric bulb burst, and the factory supervisors set off the emergency siren which created great panic among the 2,000 people working on the 7th floor of the factory building. The staircase of the building was narrow and, as a result, the stampede became unavoidable. Many an owner has done little or nothing to ensure safety of the garment workers, most of whom are women.

They are known to be playing a pivotal role in keeping the national economy buoyant. But who cares?

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The question of paying compensation to the victims is relevant, though it can by no means alter the fact that the workers' lives were being subjected to criminal neglect which itself must not escape appropriate punitive action. We believe compensation is paid according to archaic laws. There are many loopholes in them as daily wage earners and those working on contract basis are placed in a different category. But human lives are human lives and we firmly support the idea of making no discrimination when it comes to compensating the families of the victims.

This stampede incident has made it clear that the workers remain in a constant state of anxiety and fear lest something untoward happened so that a minor sign of danger could send them rushing through the narrow staircase, the only exit point in most of the factories. Something concrete must be done to restore confidence in them.