Andhra CM - Ysr reddy dead because of chalta hay Nature !

With the death of YSR Reddy, India has lost yet another rising politician to the 'chalta hai' culture. The same culture that makes us happily accept mediocrity in almost every aspect of life. By all accounts, Reddy would have still been around if he, or the aviation wing of the Andhra Pradesh government, had not compromised with the safety aspects.

I am sure all know what I am referring to here. It is the casual attitude towards almost everything, including life-threatening situations. Look at the way we maintain our vehicles. A bald, or an over- or under-inflated tyre, a vehicle that is way past its service date, a vehicle that is running low on engine oil, waiting for the engine to seize, among others, are the things we take for granted, so much so that it has become a habit. Same can be seen in other areas such as maintenance of an elevator, blocking the fire escape routes with junk, storing deadly chemicals in the basement, obstructing the passage where a fire tender is supposed to come in case of a fire, and so on. It is this lackadaisical manner of looking at things that perhaps led to YSR's chopper crash.

There are reports that the aircraft was not in the best of health and that YSR insisted that he be flown despite the weather reports that clearly suggested conditions were not conducive to flying. In any commercial operation, as also in the Air Force or the aviation wing of the Army, the pilot's decision on such matters is the last word. In this case, however, it seems the pilot may have been coerced.

All aircraft, with the exception of single-engine microlight, if at all, come equipped with an ELT (Emergency Location Transmitter). It activates whenever it senses an impact and gives out a signal that can be traced. It is normally said to be indestructible, but for it to work, it at least needs the necessary regular maintenance be carried out. Clearly this was missing.

Speak to people concerned with the Indian aviation sector and there are horror stories that unfold. People signing off as someone else to gain permission to fly is not an exception, as you would be told. There are instances of the person who had the permission to fly was resting peacefully somewhere only to be rushed to an accident site and claim that he was flying and crashed, but while he escaped, the others couldn't. Flirting with danger is not just a cliché as far as we are concerned.

While we mourn a politician who handed the Congress one of the most resounding victories in the general elections, one only hopes his death will spark a debate that we need to change our attitude. We always seem to think that calamity will fall on others and never on us. As I had said in a previous post, I'm Indian, I love mediocrity, our attitude is leading us nowhere but down. We somewhere, somehow, need to wake up. Discipline ourselves. Drill into ourselves that haste indeed makes waste. That following systems will not make us a lesser VIP. I dream of the day when all our so-called VIPs would actually insist that the systems be followed so that those who get influenced by their stupidity get some positive influence as well!