Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Falling walls: On building collapses

Falling walls: On building collapses

India’s buildings need widespread (व्यापक, सर्वव्यापी) rehabilitation (पुनर्वास, जीर्णोद्धार) work

In September 2020, the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation in Maharashtra placed the Kohinoor building on its ‘danger’ list around the same time (लगभग उसी समय) the Jilani building collapsed (ढह जाना, गिर पड़ना) a few kilometres away (दूर), killing 41. Six years on (छह वर्ष बाद), and hours after officials (अधिकारी) declared the Kohinoor to be unsafe again and evacuated (remove, clear out, move out, relocate) around 40 residents, it collapsed, killing 10. In the half decade (दशक, दस वर्ष की अवधि) in between, the owners had refused to vacate (खाली करना, छोड़ देना) or redevelop the property (संपत्ति, परिसर) and instead (इसके बजाय) undertook unauthorised (अनधिकृत, बिना अनुमति का) repairs. While the fall of the Jilani building, which was old but not on a ‘dangerous’ list, was a failure of anticipation (an inability to foresee, predict, or adequately prepare for a likely future event or disaster; lack of foresight, predictive failure, failure to foresee, poor planning), that of (used to refer to a thing previously mentioned) the Kohinoor building, on such a list and which fell mid-repairs (मरम्मत के दौरान), implies (संकेत करना, निहित करना) a failure of enforcement (प्रवर्तन). Yet (but, however, nevertheless, nonetheless), the State responded similarly in both instances, by suspending (remove temporarily, lay off, relieve of duty, dismiss temporarily) officials in 2020 and filing a criminal case (criminal action, criminal proceeding, prosecution) against the contractor now. Bhiwandi, one of India’s largest powerloom (a mechanized loom powered by an electric motor, used for weaving textiles; mechanized loom, weaving machine, textile machine) hubs (the central or main part of something where there is most activity; center, core, focal point, heart), has a large low-income migrant (referring to people who move from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions; migrating, immigrant) population living in small houses in densely packed (crowded closely together; closely packed, crowded, jammed, tight) neighbourhoods (area, locality, community). With hundreds of buildings on the ‘danger’ list and no transit (temporary, stopover, provisional, intermediate) camps or temporary housing, residents often choose unsafe homes over (in preference to, rather than, instead of) homelessness (the state of having no home; vagrancy, destitution, housing insecurity, living on the streets), while owners continue collecting rent. Evacuation (the action of emptying a place or removing people from a place of danger; removal, clearing, relocation, emptying) orders are also hard to enforce (to compel observance of or compliance with a law or rule; implement, apply, execute, impose) without police support, while allowing the corporation to claim (assert, declare, profess, maintain) that legal liability (responsibility, accountability, answerability, blame) has been discharged (carry out, perform, fulfill, execute) on paper; demolitions (destruction, knocking down, leveling, razing) are politically fraught (risky, precarious, tricky, contentious). That both buildings collapsed during the monsoons is also not coincidental (happening or existing at the same time by accident; accidental, chance, fluky, fortuitous).

India treats infrastructure (the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities) as an asset with a one-time investment. The post-2000s construction boom (a period of great prosperity or rapid economic or construction growth; surge, upsurge, boost, escalation) only outpaced (surpass, exceed, outstrip, overtake) maintenance work and administrative (relating to the running of a business, organization, or government; managerial, executive, organizational, official) oversight (supervision, management, administration, control), with the latter having fragmented (broken or separated into distinct parts; divided, splintered, fractured, disconnected) further since. In mid-2024, roofs/canopies collapsed at airports in Delhi, Jabalpur, and Rajkot while Bihar had a spate (a large number of similar things coming in quick succession; series, succession, run, cluster) of collapsing bridges in 2024-26. Roads have frequently caved in and basements have flooded in tier-I (referring to major, highly developed, and most important cities in terms of infrastructure and commercial activity; top-tier, metropolitan, premier, major) cities, including in the Rajinder Nagar tragedy (a specific incident in New Delhi where UPSC aspirants drowned in a flooded basement of a coaching center). This year, similar collapses have also been reported in Kolkata and Pune. Despite (in spite of, regardless of, notwithstanding, defying) the availability (accessibility, readiness, obtainability, supply) of technologies to continuously monitor structures and issue early warnings, urbanisation (city development, town expansion, urban growth) has outrun (to go beyond or exceed; outstrip, overtake, surpass, exceed) municipal capacity (the ability, resources, and institutional strength of local government bodies to deliver public services and manage infrastructure; local government capability, city management strength), with most of the resulting (ensuing, consequent, subsequent, following) failures involving a known (recognized, established, familiar, acknowledged) hazard (a danger or risk; danger, risk, peril, threat). The apparent (clearly visible or understood; obvious, evident, plain, clear) rise in the frequency (rate of occurrence, incidence, prevalence, commonness) of these incidents indicates a lack (absence, deficiency, shortage, dearth) of attention (observation, focus, heed, scrutiny) to construction quality as much as (to the same extent or degree; equally, almost, practically, virtually) greater media coverage and there being more infrastructure to fail. But in place of the state’s almost instinctive responses in the form of legal and disciplinary action, inquiries and promises of audits, and victim compensation, India’s buildings need widespread rehabilitation work. Nothing short of an urban renewal would do.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.widespread (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापक, सर्वव्यापी
English Meaning - extensive, prevalent, ubiquitous, sweeping.

2.rehabilitation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पुनर्वास, जीर्णोद्धार
English Meaning - restoration, repair, renovation, rebuilding.

3.around the same time (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - लगभग उसी समय
English Meaning - happening simultaneously or in close temporal proximity; concurrently, simultaneously, coincidentally, at that moment.

4.collapse (verb)

Hindi Meaning - ढह जाना, गिर पड़ना
English Meaning - to suddenly fall down or give way; cave in, crumble, give way, fall down.

5.away (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - दूर
English Meaning - at a distance from a particular place; off, at a distance.

6.six years on (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - छह वर्ष बाद
English Meaning - after a period of six years has passed; six years later, following six years, six years down the line, subsequently.

7.official (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकारी
English Meaning - officer, administrator, bureaucrat, functionary.

8.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक, दस वर्ष की अवधि
English Meaning - a period of ten years; ten-year period, ten years.

9.vacate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - खाली करना, छोड़ देना
English Meaning - leave, empty, abandon, desert.

10.property (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संपत्ति, परिसर
English Meaning - premises, building.

11.instead (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - इसके बजाय
English Meaning - as an alternative, rather, alternatively, in lieu.

12.unauthorised (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अनधिकृत, बिना अनुमति का
English Meaning - not having official permission or approval; unofficial, illegal, unsanctioned, unapproved.

13.mid-repairs (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मरम्मत के दौरान
English Meaning - midway through repair, mid-restoration.

14.imply (verb)

Hindi Meaning - संकेत करना, निहित करना
English Meaning - to strongly suggest, indicate, signify, hint.

15.enforcement (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रवर्तन
English Meaning - implementation, application, execution, imposition.

16.suspend (verb)

English Meaning - remove temporarily, lay off, relieve of duty, dismiss temporarily.

17.yet (conjunction)

English Meaning - but, however, nevertheless, nonetheless.

18.‘danger’ list (noun)

English Meaning - an official record or inventory of buildings identified as structurally unsafe or perilous by municipal authorities; unsafe building inventory, hazard list.

19.evacuate (verb)

English Meaning - remove, clear out, move out, relocate.

20.undertake (verb)

English Meaning - engage in, take on, begin, start.

21.failure of anticipation (phrase)

English Meaning - an inability to foresee, predict, or adequately prepare for a likely future event or disaster; lack of foresight, predictive failure, failure to foresee, poor planning.

22.that of (phrase)

English Meaning - used to refer to a thing previously mentioned.

23.criminal case (noun)

English Meaning - criminal action, criminal proceeding, prosecution.

24.powerloom (noun)

English Meaning - a mechanized loom powered by an electric motor, used for weaving textiles; mechanized loom, weaving machine, textile machine.

25.hub (noun)

English Meaning - the central or main part of something where there is most activity; center, core, focal point, heart.

26.migrant (adjective)

English Meaning - referring to people who move from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions; migrating, immigrant.

27.densely packed (adjective)

English Meaning - crowded closely together; closely packed, crowded, jammed, tight.

28.neighbourhood (noun)

English Meaning - area, locality, community.

29.transit (adjective)

English Meaning - temporary, stopover, provisional, intermediate.

30.over (preposition)

English Meaning - in preference to, rather than, instead of.

31.homelessness (noun)

English Meaning - the state of having no home; vagrancy, destitution, housing insecurity, living on the streets.

32.evacuation (noun)

English Meaning - the action of emptying a place or removing people from a place of danger; removal, clearing, relocation, emptying.

33.enforce (verb)

English Meaning - to compel observance of or compliance with a law or rule; implement, apply, execute, impose.

34.claim (verb)

English Meaning - assert, declare, profess, maintain.

35.liability (noun)

English Meaning - responsibility, accountability, answerability, blame.

36.discharge (verb)

English Meaning - carry out, perform, fulfill, execute.

37.on paper (phrase)

English Meaning - in theory rather than in reality; theoretically, hypothetically, technically, supposedly.

38.demolition (noun)

English Meaning - destruction, knocking down, leveling, razing.

39.fraught (adjective)

English Meaning - risky, precarious, tricky, contentious.

40.coincidental (adjective)

English Meaning - happening or existing at the same time by accident; accidental, chance, fluky, fortuitous.

41.infrastructure (noun)

English Meaning - the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities.

42.boom (noun)

English Meaning - a period of great prosperity or rapid economic or construction growth; surge, upsurge, boost, escalation.

43.outpace (verb)

English Meaning - surpass, exceed, outstrip, overtake.

44.administrative (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the running of a business, organization, or government; managerial, executive, organizational, official.

45.oversight (noun)

English Meaning - supervision, management, administration, control.

46.fragmented (adjective)

English Meaning - broken or separated into distinct parts; divided, splintered, fractured, disconnected.

47.canopy (noun)

English Meaning - awning, shade, covering, overhang.

48.spate (noun)

English Meaning - a large number of similar things coming in quick succession; series, succession, run, cluster.

49.cave in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to collapse or fall inwards; collapse, give way, crumble, fall in.

50.tier-I (adjective)

English Meaning - referring to major, highly developed, and most important cities in terms of infrastructure and commercial activity; top-tier, metropolitan, premier, major.

51.Rajinder Nagar tragedy (noun)

English Meaning - a specific incident in New Delhi where UPSC aspirants drowned in a flooded basement of a coaching center.

52.despite (preposition)

English Meaning - in spite of, regardless of, notwithstanding, defying.

53.availability (noun)

English Meaning - accessibility, readiness, obtainability, supply.

54.urbanisation (noun)

English Meaning - city development, town expansion, urban growth.

55.outrun (verb)

English Meaning - to go beyond or exceed; outstrip, overtake, surpass, exceed.

56.municipal capacity (noun)

English Meaning - the ability, resources, and institutional strength of local government bodies to deliver public services and manage infrastructure; local government capability, city management strength.

57.resulting (adjective)

English Meaning - ensuing, consequent, subsequent, following.

58.known (adjective)

English Meaning - recognized, established, familiar, acknowledged.

59.hazard (noun)

English Meaning - a danger or risk; danger, risk, peril, threat.

60.apparent (adjective)

English Meaning - clearly visible or understood; obvious, evident, plain, clear.

61.frequency (noun)

English Meaning - rate of occurrence, incidence, prevalence, commonness.

62.lack (noun)

English Meaning - absence, deficiency, shortage, dearth.