Another fire in the city has claimed nine lives. This time in a makeshift hospital set up inside a mall, necessitated by the pandemic situation. And, the civic authorities gave us the usual spiel about instituting an enquiry to find out exactly who is at fault. No one till date has ever been told who exactly is at fault over any major fire at a public place in the city. Enquiries take months to conclude and conclusions are vaguely worded, leaving more questions than answers.

Honestly, who is really at fault is a no-brainer. Who permits hospitals to be set up inside malls or empty buildings or open grounds? Who is supposed to ensure fire and other compliances are 100 per cent met at hospitals, malls, restaurants, hotels and cinema houses? Who is supposed to make periodic inspections of safety measures being in place? The civic body.