In the morning of 17th November 2018, as usual, while I was browsing e- kuensel, to my dismay, under the brief column, it was published that “On 15th November, A four-year-old boy drowned in an artificial pond at private construction pond in Changzamtog. Local residents said the pond was dug for the construction purpose”.
It is now our forte and we accept that, with construction, the wearing and tearing of public properties are bound to happen. Nevertheless, the demise of four years old caught my attention. Seriously! Someone will be too careless to the extent of staking someone else’s life. Where was the precaution? Who will be accountable now? The Thimphu Thromde for failing to monitor the process or the Builder for his costly carelessness.
I am compelled to pour this emotion. If it’s mandated by law to monitor the whole construction process, Thimphu Thromde failed this time and the office should bear the responsibility for the death of a 4-year-old boy and it’s not redeemable at any cost. The builder, on the other hand, should be charged for failing to abide by the safety norms and also for failing to put precautions in place.
Thimphu Thromde is seriously failing when it comes to monitoring the construction of buildings and its implication on the nearby public properties like roads, water pipers, footpaths and parking areas to name it few. The construction of buildings indicates the economic development of a country and it’s important but the welfare of the citizens should be placed on top of the list always. No one has that authority and right to do anything they like at the cost of public welfare.
There are incidences where water pipes are broken, there are incidences where good conditioned roads are now filled with potholes, and there are incidences where someone’s parking area is sacrificed for the sake of assembling raw materials. The builders do it because they need to do it anyway for their work But where is the sense of giving back to society. I personally feel that, as far as we are made accountable and responsible for our actions, this kind of unfortunate’ aftermath are avoidable. Alas, many lack this sense and the ground reality is damn irking.
For the record, there are some builders who take social responsibility seriously and they achieve every process of building with care and precaution, I literally appreciate them. Further, it won’t be fair on the Thimphu Thromde’s part not to acknowledge the commendable work executed by them and other associated stakeholders, and I am not going to discount their achievements.
Disclaimer: The above writeup is just my opinion and it is never intended to defame someone or the institution.
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