The Noida Accident Was Inevitable: Inside the System That Failed to Rescue

Main Thread

When mediocrity is celebrated and people are discriminated against on the basis of caste or tribe just to give away jobs, accidents like the one in Noida are bound to happen.

What actually went wrong?

Physically, it was negligence: A barricade broken from a previous accident was never fixed. A sharp 90-degree turn with no proper lighting or signs. But the real question is: Why could he not be rescued?

Because relying on government agencies to do their work is just a gamble. It is a 50-50 chance.

  • Will my rescuers be competent? It’s 50-50.

  • Is my doctor competent? It’s 50-50.

  • Is my professor able? Again, it’s 50-50.

Your rescuer might have zero skills—maybe he doesn’t even know how to swim, or maybe he has a fear of snakes. Your surgeon, who will work on your vital organs, could be someone who scored -40 marks in his academics. Your teacher, your mentor, your guide can have zero marks in the subject he is teaching. Basically, you are on your own.

The Illusion of Safety

Do we even have a rescue service in India? In name, we have the SDRF and NDRF. But what is the time they take normally? The response time is almost 15-30 minutes. If it is late at night, that stretches to 30-60 minutes. By the time they arrive, that "competence issue" I talked about earlier kicks in.

The Media Circus While this happens, what is the media doing? They are busy making this a BJP issue instead of a negligence issue. I don’t know why everything becomes a BJP vs. Congress debate. It’s not like changing the candidate is going to solve this problem. Like other candidates are somehow magically better than the current ones?

The media is running after the DM only because she is the ECI's daughter. They are creating a link that the government is corrupt. Well, obviously—the government has always been corrupt. They are chasing the DM’s car solely for the sensationalism. If she wasn't the ECI's daughter, they probably wouldn't have cared.

The Protected Class

They make it seem like if they punish the DM, justice is served. They blame the BJP (and yes, current policymakers should be blamed), acting like the DM is being protected only because of her links. Lol.

In reality, let's say the DM was not from the BJP. What would have happened then? Still nothing. Because nothing ever happens. The bureaucrats, politicians, and government officials are a protected species. Government jobs in this country come with the ultimate armor: the highest job security imaginable. You cannot fire them. Nobody takes their jobs. Even in the worst cases of negligence, the harshest punishment they face is a temporary suspension (often just a paid holiday) or a transfer (a change of scenery). The system is designed to protect its own, regardless of which party is in power.

The Way Forward: A Survival Guide

So, how do you survive this? First, try to stay safe and do not indulge yourself in problems. But if trouble does find you—whether it is physical, medical, or civil—make sure you have your own safety net. Ensure you have competent friends or private agencies who can actually help you. Relying on the government to save you is just a fool's gamble. Until the deep rot of incompetence and mediocrity is scrubbed from the governance system, you are your own first responder.

The Root Cause

So what is the problem? "Incompetence." When the Constitution itself rewards mediocrity, we will always have these problems, and nobody will run after the politicians for this. When a person scoring 100/100 and a person scoring -10/100 get the same benefits—or maybe the -10 gets more benefits—what is the incentive for the 100/100 to work hard?

Until you ask for changes in the whole rigged governance system, nothing will ever stop.

When the undeserving become the majority in the system, is it really right to expect anything from the system?