Thou Shall Account

It seems to be a democratic norm now. The judiciary is petitioned to step into a crisis and offer direction, if not solutions. The aftermath of Mumbai floods is no different. The Bombay High Court is now hearing nearly half a dozen petitions that, at one level, seek to fix blame for the total collapse during floods and thereafter.

Solutions and corrective direction may be some time away because the pils have raised very basic questions and information that an array of authorities are now scampering to provide to the court. For instance, the BMC was clueless about the exact numbers of people who had perished in the floods and those still missing. The court ordered it to provide the information. Similarly, information will now flow on other issues too: why the storm water drainage system was not upgraded for decades despite a World Bank fund, why the disaster management system simply did not crank up, why different agencies failed to coordinate.

"The city was unprepared for such a disaster," observed a division bench of Chief Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice S.J. Vajifdar. "Events like these may not recur but you have to come up with a disaster management plan." The bench also directed the BMC to enlist 42 NGOs in their rehabilitation efforts. And, this is only the beginning. The administration is scoffing at "wealthy people" who went to court instead of lending help. But a failed executive can't complain, can it?