Travelling on the Delhi Metro for the first time; my grandma and my twin cousins aged two and a half years were very excited. We left my aunt’s place, took an e-rickshaw to the metro station. After entering into the metro premises (post checking), we took the escalators. I held one of my cousin’s hands and stepped on the escalators very easily as I am used to it. My grandma couldn’t balance herself and fell. I was waiting for the escalator to stop, as I was aware of the fact that if a person or a heavy object falls on an escalator it stops, but here it didn’t stop.
Seeing my grandma, my aunt along with my cousin tried to help her but they fell as well. I knew about the emergency button but I was helpless as it was impossible for me to leave my cousin and press the button; I shouted for help. It took the metro staff about 5-6 minutes to understand the situation and help. Finally, a metro official stopped the escalator. Post which members of my family were given first aid.
Coming back home, I shared the horrors with my family and friends. To my surprise, no one knew that the escalator stops in such circumstances. To add on to this, everyone was also unaware of the emergency button. My mother gave us an idea to visit a metro station or a mall and find out what one can do in case of an emergency. Teaching citizens disaster management is something crucial.
The need to know about disaster management deepened when I was reading Trial By Fire – a book about the horrific Uphaar tragedy. The author finds no meaning in her life after she lost both her beloved children to the fire. The only reason she is alive was to get her children justice. Her motive being that no parent goes through what she and her husband went through.
The author highlights that despite the guidelines, cinemas is still not safe. This is so because guidelines are just on the paper.The Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) aims at highlighting the lack of basic safety measures in public spaces especially educational institutions, multiplexes and malls. The author talks about how at the time of tragedy no one from the mall authorities and management helped the victims. It was the local shop vendors who helped. Even if fire extinguisher would have been available (which wasn’t that day), had the security personnel, management staff and mall authorities used it to save lives? There comes the question mark. The other day when I went to watch a movie with my friends, my eyes moved to the AC duct to ensure there was no fire (as this caused the death of 59 lives in the Uphaar tragedy). I observed that many of the cinematography rules were not being followed. The seating was not proper, the exits were unsafe and the place lacked emergency equipment. When I saw a fire extinguisher kept on a tray-type surface near a plant with the name of the mall scribbled on it a thought struck my mind. “If a fire struck the place, what would I do? Would I run to save my life or help others?” I asked myself. Then I thought, what sort of help would I render when I didn’t know how to use emergency equipment! Thinking about the gravity of the issue I am concerned as to why we are never taught to tackle emergency situations? Is a mock drill in school to deal with an earthquake enough? Is a ten-marks disaster management project partly-plagiarized worth it? We know how to use a lift and an escalator but we will still panic if a mishap occurs while using it.
The youth is present everywhere. If we are trained to use safety equipment, it will help us to deal with mismanagement and emergency situations effectively. Let us take an initiative to make India a safer place to live in. Adopting a practical approach would make it easier for us, such knowledge will only ensure lesser loss of life and material in case of disaster.