The fire that ravaged the Mantralaya in Mumbai may or may not have been avoided, but the constraints in the rescue effort proved that the state’s top ministers and bureaucrats not only showed lack of awareness of fire safety but there was complete disdain for installing even the most basic equipment to either prevent fire or to rescue people in the event of one.

A classic example of this indifference is how it allegedly took an hour for the Mumbai Fire Brigade to clear official cars parked right at the entrance to the building instead of at their allotted parking spots. This meant that the fire tenders were present but lost precious minutes before they could begin the rescue operations or douse the fire. There was just no space for them to station themselves and operate their hoses or snorkels.