In a climate crisis- and conflict-ridden world, everyday horrors like mass poisoning from contaminated water in Indore, the death of a techie due to civic negligence, and severe air pollution across India seem like tiny blips. Behind these and similar incidents is a casual disregard for human life by government agencies, corporates and citizens. The Legislature and Judiciary must consider a codified system of torts, allowing financial compensation for death or personal injury due to negligence, in order to inculcate accountability.

Unequal accountability

In cases where negligence by private entities leads to loss of life or serious harm, they are held accountable and may face jail terms or fines. But government bodies and officials who have oversight and have failed to ensure compliance by these private entities are not penalised. Even when citizens’ lives and well-being are directly impacted, officials will, at worst, be transferred or suspended.

The Noida tragedy

Take the case of Yuvraj Mehta, 27, who drowned in a flooded excavation pit at a construction site in the NCR’s Noida suburb on January 17. Driving in dense fog and forced to take a sharp turn, he went off the road and into the 20-foot-deep pit. There were no warning signs, reflectors or streetlights. Unable to swim, he stood on his slowly sinking car for 90 minutes and drowned as first responders looked on helplessly. The site had been red-flagged as hazardous by residents for two years, and a similar accident had occurred just 10 days earlier, but the Noida authority failed in its ‘duty of care’.

The........

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