The monsoon season might seem like respite for those tired of the relentless summer heat. But considering the state of roads as they get from bad to worse, everyone is looking forward to the season coming to an end. In fact, the situation gets ridiculous as the monsoon months draw closer. Especially closer to home, in my area the same drama plays out each year with sickening consistency. About five months before the onslaught of the rains, the corporation begins work on the roads. The pace is satisfying in the beginning but with each passing week the project seems to get slower. Somewhere about three months down the line, another contractor from a different department (Gas, Water, electricity, Sewer…take your pick) comes in and digs up the road, undoing all the work done until then and then some more. By the times the rains have begun, the excuse for leaving the road work undone is that one cannot work in the rains. And thus, eventually bad roads, deep potholes, road accidents and loss of lives become common news in the papers. What do we do about it, though? Complain to our neighbors and friends and then go back to work the next morning, using the same ruined potholed paths. A certain newspaper is known to have begun a campaign though; listing the number of potholes on each street, listing contractors who have not been doing their jobs well, making the mayor of the city accessible to the public. But that was almost a week ago. Other events have taken up the headline space since. The people paying their taxes aren’t getting what they deserve; the corporation is getting less accountable with each passing day. I believe this is injustice.
In another situation, the elderly are expected to show up to the government or post office personally in order to prove deserving of their pensions. As if one hasn’t had enough of ridiculous, unnecessary bureaucratic policy, I know of a particular elderly woman who hasn’t received her pension in the last three months because the system is being upgraded. It is a good thing that the lady has a son whom she can rely on financially but what about those individuals without families to support them in such situations? And yet, nobody has managed to do much about it.
Or what about the victims of the bomb blast attacks. While some perished in the attacks, others lost a limb or were rendered useless due to wounds or trauma. And all the government could do was announcing a compensation of 5 lakhs for the families of the dead and a few thousands for those who were hurt. But do these meager sums last the people any longer than a few months? Does the sum suffice those who’ve lost the only earning member of the family? Doesn’t this sound like injustice? But what do we do about it?
No comments:
Post a Comment