Organized by a local NGO Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, social activist and theatre personality Jitendra Raghvanshi said "our general attitude towards maintaining safety norms was lax, at time callously negligent. Right from home, to roads and work places, everywhere the attitude was one of callous disdain and who cares. This mindset should change."

Society president Surendra Sharma said the training in safety and precautions must begin from schools. "In most accidents it is the innocents or the pedestrians who become victims of others' carelessness. The fire brigade, the police, pollution control board officials should regularly monitor industries," Sharma said.

The way our industries function these days, "one can only be grateful to god that Bhopal like tragedies are not repeated," we have to be doubly careful because our level of preparedness and disaster management apparatus is tardy and faulty, said activist Sudhir Gupta.

BK Singh, Keshav and Ambuj Upadhyaya wanted strict vigilance and punishment to those who failed to implement safety norms anywhere. "Every few days we hear of industrial accidents, leakage from chemical factories or blasts. The need of the hour is to educate people."

Rajan Kishore, social activist said the situation in the Taj city was truly alarming as sewage in different parts of the city was being directly pumped into the earth through bore wells. "Anyday there could be an explosion, as methane and other noxious gases were being produced. The city was perched on explosives, as it were," Kishore said.

Seminar participants wanted a proper mechanism of safety at all levels and in all spheres put in place, backed by awareness programmes.