Q. In a city, during Dussehra celebration a horrific tragedy occurred in which around one hundred people were killed. The celebration was in an open area next to the railway tracks.
The celebration area was crowded with thousands of visitors.
Usually Dussehra celebration ends with burning of Ravan effigy. During the effigy burning, many people retreated towards the railway tracks from where many were already watching the ceremonies. Some people were standing along the railway tracks because it offered them a higher vantage point. Many of them were busy recording the effigy go up in flames with their mobile phone cameras In the noise of the crackers, joyous cheers from the crowd and the ensuing commotion, people did not notice that the one local train was speeding towards them. Several of them were thrown off the spot and many came under the wheels. Moments later, severed body parts and bodies were strewn along the tracks.
With a lot of public outcry, the government has announced a judicial enquiry for the above incident. The judicial enquiry committee has found that proper permission was not taken by event organizer from the designated authority. There was no proper safety plan for the visitors.
In this situation,
- Discuss the ethical issues involved in this case
- Discuss the ethical dilemmas involved in this case
- Suppose you are a member of that judicial enquiry committee. Then according to you, who are responsible for such accident.
Q. In a city, during Dussehra celebration a horrific tragedy occurred in which around one hundred people were killed. The celebration was in an open area next to the railway tracks.
The celebration area was crowded with thousands of visitors.
Usually Dussehra celebration ends with burning of Ravan effigy. During the effigy burning, many people retreated towards the railway tracks from where many were already watching the ceremonies. Some people were standing along the railway tracks because it offered them a higher vantage point. Many of them were busy recording the effigy go up in flames with their mobile phone cameras In the noise of the crackers, joyous cheers from the crowd and the ensuing commotion, people did not notice that the one local train was speeding towards them. Several of them were thrown off the spot and many came under the wheels. Moments later, severed body parts and bodies were strewn along the tracks.
With a lot of public outcry, the government has announced a judicial enquiry for the above incident. The judicial enquiry committee has found that proper permission was not taken by event organizer from the designated authority. There was no proper safety plan for the visitors.
In this situation,
- Discuss the ethical issues involved in this case
- Discuss the ethical dilemmas involved in this case
- Suppose you are a member of that judicial enquiry committee. Then according to you, who are responsible for such accident.
Approach:
- Identify the stakeholders
- Identify the ethical issues involved in this case.
- Identify the ethical dilemmas involved in the case.
- As a member of Judicial Enquiry Committee, make a decision based on facts
Answer:
It is one of the prominent examples of man made disaster. There is a requirement to change the attitude of people regarding public safety.
Stakeholders:
- Victims and their families of the accident.
- Local Administration
- Organizers of the Event
- Train Administration
- The Government
- Judicial Enquiry Committee
(a) Ethical issues involved in the case:
- Breach of law by organizers and public at large: Dussehra celebration was organized without the permission of local Administration.
- Inefficiency of local Administration: Even the event was organised and the local administration had no idea about this.
- Negligence of duty by Organizers: Organizers had not paid attention to the basic public safety requirement for organizing such an event.
- Lack of coordination between Railway and local Administration: Why there was no proper railway crossing in such crowded public place. Some advisory should be issued to train driver in Festival Season
(b) Ethical Dilemmas involved in this case:
- Neglect of Public safety Vs Organisation of public festivals: In our society to organize the public festivals, usually public safety is neglected. Public safety is as important as organising the public festival.
- Organisation of public festivals Vs burden on the local administration: In this case even the local administration permission was not taken. It is an ethical dilemma whether such public festival should be promoted at the cost of public safety when the local administration was still struggling with poor capacity
- Fixing the accountability for such accident: In our country there is a diffused accountability. So it is difficult to fix the particular person accountable for any such accident.
- Respecting public sentiments strongly associated with a cultural event and the need for creating a culture of safety
(C) As a member of judicial Enquiry Committee, all our decisions will be based on objectivity, transparency and evidence. After analysis of all the events in the above case, it is difficult to make one person or organization accountable for such accidents.
Stakeholders responsible for such accidents:
- Local Administration: It is apathetic attitude and inefficiency of local administration which was responsible for the occurrence of such accident. Local administration had no idea that such events were organized without their permission.
- Organizer of the events: Without prior approval of local administration, organizer had conducted the events. It was completely a breach of law by Organizers. Organizers had no taken into consideration of public safety. It was a grave misconduct by organizers when without taking into public safety as important factor they have conducted the events.
- Railway: Even after seventy year of Independence, there are many manual railway crossings. So it should be of prime importance for railway to remove the manual crossing as public safety is of prime importance.
Approach:
- Identify the stakeholders
- Identify the ethical issues involved in this case.
- Identify the ethical dilemmas involved in the case.
- As a member of Judicial Enquiry Committee, make a decision based on facts
Answer:
It is one of the prominent examples of man made disaster. There is a requirement to change the attitude of people regarding public safety.
Stakeholders:
- Victims and their families of the accident.
- Local Administration
- Organizers of the Event
- Train Administration
- The Government
- Judicial Enquiry Committee
(a) Ethical issues involved in the case:
- Breach of law by organizers and public at large: Dussehra celebration was organized without the permission of local Administration.
- Inefficiency of local Administration: Even the event was organised and the local administration had no idea about this.
- Negligence of duty by Organizers: Organizers had not paid attention to the basic public safety requirement for organizing such an event.
- Lack of coordination between Railway and local Administration: Why there was no proper railway crossing in such crowded public place. Some advisory should be issued to train driver in Festival Season
(b) Ethical Dilemmas involved in this case:
- Neglect of Public safety Vs Organisation of public festivals: In our society to organize the public festivals, usually public safety is neglected. Public safety is as important as organising the public festival.
- Organisation of public festivals Vs burden on the local administration: In this case even the local administration permission was not taken. It is an ethical dilemma whether such public festival should be promoted at the cost of public safety when the local administration was still struggling with poor capacity
- Fixing the accountability for such accident: In our country there is a diffused accountability. So it is difficult to fix the particular person accountable for any such accident.
- Respecting public sentiments strongly associated with a cultural event and the need for creating a culture of safety
(C) As a member of judicial Enquiry Committee, all our decisions will be based on objectivity, transparency and evidence. After analysis of all the events in the above case, it is difficult to make one person or organization accountable for such accidents.
Stakeholders responsible for such accidents:
- Local Administration: It is apathetic attitude and inefficiency of local administration which was responsible for the occurrence of such accident. Local administration had no idea that such events were organized without their permission.
- Organizer of the events: Without prior approval of local administration, organizer had conducted the events. It was completely a breach of law by Organizers. Organizers had no taken into consideration of public safety. It was a grave misconduct by organizers when without taking into public safety as important factor they have conducted the events.
- Railway: Even after seventy year of Independence, there are many manual railway crossings. So it should be of prime importance for railway to remove the manual crossing as public safety is of prime importance.
