Glare on highrise security, review on the cards

The South City suicide pact has brought to the fore the slack security network at highrises. While some say the incident should serve as an alarm bell for security agencies, others term it as the darker side of development.

A senior official of the detective department of Lalbazar said it was about time the security agencies and police worked out a security blueprint and drill for such highrises so that there is no margin of error.

"It is a monotonous job but a very crucial one nevertheless. So, the security guards engaged in such sensitive jobs should always be on their toes and the person in charge should check the work of the guards and there should be regular drills," he said.

Special Commissioner of Police Shivaji Ghosh said there would be a complete review of security systems at highrises. "We can't give a knee-jerk reaction at the moment but after the investigation is over, there will be a complete review of the security system, including whether there is a proper provision for exit in case of a fire or any other emergency," he said.

Experts like town planner Dipankar Sinha said the incident, though a security lapse, revealed the "darker side of development".

"Initially, people found Metro Rails a perfect place to jump to their deaths and now with the multistoried buildings, it seems people have found another ideal suicide point. Since the three victims had entered into a pact to end their lives, it is a different story, but what if some anti-social element had entered the building with a criminal intent?" he said.

Kumar Sankar Bagchi, MD, Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company, said it was more of a management flaw than a security lapse. "The incident took place because we are not sincere to wards our duty. We are callous. Security people are either arranged by the society or the builder against a certain sum but more often than not, people are complacent just by deploying a certain number of persons. What needs to be checked is whether they are trained or whether there is a written dos and don'ts for them that they follow? he said.

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