Letter.

 Letter Published in The National UAE on 27Aug 20 Indian cities need to improve building inspectionsI write to you in reference to the article One dead and scores feared trapped after building collapses in western India (August 25): it filled me with sadness but also a sense of deja vu when I read the headline. Just last month, monsoon rains caused two deadly collapses in Mumbai. There have been far too many such stories over the past few years, despite there being laws in place to regulate the construction and maintenance of buildings in India’s urban centres.The blame needs to be spread around – to architects and contractors who design and build these structures, and to inspectors tasked with making periodic checks. A lack of accountability, and perhaps even corruption, at municipal level needs to be tackled. Government must value human life more, and be cognisant of the material and financial losses incurred by such incidents.K Ragavan, Bengaluru