Editorial
This dangerous living must stop
Move the occupants before disaster strikes
THE report appearing in this newspaper that people are continuing to occupy AGB colony buildings despite the fact that these had been declared dangerous and unfit for living more than five years ago is very disconcerting indeed. In effect more than 100 families are putting their lives at risk every minute of the day in these quarters. Although the authorities have managed to shift the occupants of the other hazardous buildings in the complex, as far as the eight in question, the authorities have done nothing beyond warning the occupants from time to time.
There are many reasons why the occupants continue to hazard living there, primary of which is the fear that once they vacate they may not be allotted new accommodation in near future. Another perhaps is their getting used to the place in a manner that makes them overlook the immediate danger. But that is not all. The fact is that there are not enough accommodation for the affected people, and that many, who have defaulted in payment of service bills, have too not been allotted new living quarters.
We feel that the AGB colony is a disaster waiting to happen. It is little comfort to hear the authorities say that new housing facilities would not be ready for another two years. It is imperative that the government, without waiting for the occupants to vacate the premise on their own, or pay up the full arrears of service charges, must take measures to move the residents to a safer place immediately. While in no way appearing to condone non-payment of bills, we suggest the government look at the pecuniary conditions of the occupants, some of whom are frankly very poorly off, and arrange to reduce their burden as far as practicable. After all, safety of people's lives must take precedence over everything else.
This is also a case of sluggishness on the part of relevant government agencies. These buildings had been declared unfit five years ago which should have been long enough a time to make new ones for the affected.
We feel also that the AGB complex is not the only one that needs immediate attention of the government. There are a large number of public housing complexes that were built in the mid fifties and have become unsafe, not only in the capital but also in other cities. The relevant authorities should also attend to these immediately.
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