By Varun Singh

This may sound harsh but it’s the reality, they say a life is precious but governments have pegged the price of a life at ₹7 lakh.

The recent Mumbai fire has brought this cost of life to the fore.

On Saturday morning a high rise in Mumbai’s Tardeo area caught fire.

The fire that was on the 19th floor of the building killed 6 and injured several others of which some are critical.

According to a list issued by BMC three of those dead included siblings Hitesh Mistry, Moushmi and their mother Meena Mistry.

Reports suggested that they were residents of flat 1904, which is suspected to be the flat where the fire broke out.

The other two deceased include Manjuben Kantharia a resident of the 19th floor of the building and Purushottam Chopdekar a resident of 16th floor.

One of the dead hasn’t been identified yet and via DNA test his identity shall be revealed.

This was not the first fire that Mumbai city witnessed, just a few months ago, a man died in another fire incident that took place in One Avighna Park, Currey Road. Flats in this building too costs nowhere less than several crores of rupees.

A flat in Tardeo area of Mumbai will cost way above a crore of rupees.

But how much is the cost of a human life? ₹7 lakh, yes you read it right.

After the fire that gutted the Tardeo building and killed 6, the state government and the central government announced an ex-gratia amount for the dead and the injured.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia amount of ₹2 lakh to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 to those injured.

PM tweeted, “An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the building fire in Tardeo, Mumbai. The injured would be given ₹50,000 each.”

Mumbai suburban guardian minister Aaditya Thackeray, announced an ex-gratia amount of ₹5 lakh for the families of the deceased.

Going by the calculation the total ex-gratia amount per dead person comes to ₹7 lakh. That’s what the cost of a human life in Mumbai is.

The BMC, which most of us proudly boast as the richest Municipal Corporation in the Country is the department that gives building permission in the city.

The audits in these buildings are to be carried out by departments within the BMC.

After the Currey Road fire there was a lot of hullabaloo about the fire safety norms, but yet again we saw another fire that killed 6.

The cost of construction of a building in Mumbai is several crores, no flat in Mumbai will cost less than a crore, but the cost of a human life fixed by the governments of this country is ₹7 lakh.

Harsh reality, so next time when you invest in an apartment, don’t blindly buy it, check whether fire safety norms are followed during construction, and are the equipment’s functional. Because your flat may cost crores but your life which is far more precious is priced by the Government at ₹7 lakh.

Even in existing buildings the society should pay attention to details whether the fire fighting systems are functional, if any illegal alternation then amend it, make the building complaint to fire safety rules and follow the procedures only then will your precious life be saved.

Also read: Rising Fire Incidents & the Need for a Right Combating Tool

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