LUCKNOW, July 5 -- The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has observed that the loss of 15 young lives in the June 22 Aliganj fire tragedy here reflects the sorry state of affairs, saying it shows that the current system is neither adequate nor effective. "How is it that buildings are constructed, specially commercial buildings, where the footfall on a given day is substantial, in violation of the norms? The fact that, it is so, itself is evidence of the fact that whatever mechanism is in place, as of now, is neither sufficient nor effective," the court further observed. Citing other similar incidents, including the 2022 Levana hotel fire in Hazratganj, the court noted that petitions filed in connection with these incidents are pending, with orders issued. However, in such incidents, officials only take prompt action when people are injured or lose their lives. The court also directed the state government to present a system by establishing responsibilities for officers and employees, ensuring compliance with building norms and fire safety measures. It directed the additional chief secretary/principal secretary of the housing and urban development department, the commissioner of the Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Board, the MD of the UP Power Corporation, and the principal secretary, energy, to be made opposite parties to the case. The court ordered all the parties to file their counter affidavits (replies) in the light of these comments on the petition before August 4. A division bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjive Shukla passed the order on July 2, which was uploaded on Saturday, on a public interest litigation filed by a local advocate Shivendu Pandey. The petition sought directions for the formation of an independent, time-bound, and court-monitored committee to investigate the incident. Chief standing counsel (CSC) Shailendra Kumar Singh informed the court that the state government was taking appropriate and effective action to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. Additional advocate general Vinod Kumar Shahi was also present during the hearing. The PIL names the UP government, the Centre, the UP director general of Fire and Emergency Services, the Lucknow chief fire officer, the Lucknow municipal commissioner, the vice-chairman of the Lucknow Development Authority, the district magistrate, and five other authorities as respondents....