Prevention is better than cure, cry social activists

Chennai: "Varumun kaappom". That mantra prescribing the age-old and worldwide belief that 'prevention is better than cure' has once again popped up in the disturbed minds of social activists distressed about two-year-old Sujith's borewell crisis.

"It's only when such disasters strike us that we suddenly wake up and start debating why things went wrong and what we must do. And then we forget the whole thing as fresher issues take charge. We must understand the value of believing, 'varumun kaappom' as that would prevent disasters from hitting us as we prepare well in advance", said Ex-nora founder M B Nirmal.

Reflecting similar sentiments and distress over the kid's tragic mishap, social activist Siva Ilango reminded the clear order from the Supreme Court years ago laying down various guidelines regarding the borewells. One of the things prescribed by the apex court was regular checking by the government authorities, down to the village level, to ensure that no illegal and unapproved borewells are dug in farms and other areas, and that the concerned authorities constantly monitor to see if there are any violators.

"This monitoring must be done by the Village Administrative Officers (VAO) but we found through RTI that 90 per cent of the VAOs in the state do not stay in their respective places of posting. How could they maintain constant vigil in such situation?" wondered Ilango.

Another social campaigner said Tamil Nadu has been 'notorious' for the frequent borewell deaths. "Of the 200-plus borewell deaths happening across the country, Tamil Nadu accounts for 17 per cent. This can be stopped only through proper monitoring by the relevant government agencies, and more importantly by public awareness", he said.