Lack of safety norms for three-wheelers
We have safety norms for two-wheelers in the form of compulsory helmets for riders and pillions. The cars at present have quite a few safety features required under the law. Wearing seatbelts for front and rear passengers, fitment of compulsory airbags, seatbelt reminders, alert systems for speed beyond 80 kph, reverse parking sensors are some of the car safety features. However, it is alarming that the government has not taken any cognisance of fitment of safety features on three-wheelers. Many three-wheelers ferry school children, who are packed like sardines with their loaded school bags. In Indian villages the rickshaw happens to be the main transport system for short distance travel. A hit by a four-wheeler is sufficient to make the three-wheeler roll over. Three-wheelers do not have many safety features that should be included in its design. Many three-wheelers which carry passengers even do not have doors. As wearing a seat belt is not mandatory for the rickshaw drivers, they can lose control of the vehicle while taking a sharp turn at high speed. The three-wheeler manufacturers are making merry and hardly care for passenger safety. There have been minimal changes in the basic design of a three-wheeler. It is high time the government takes cognisance and cares for the safety of three-wheeler passengers. The three-wheeler should have more safety features which are made mandatory in its design.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
PM Care Fund, a case for suo motu action
As per a leading business publication, the government run firms have accounted for 59% of the donations, a whopping Rs 2,913 crore to the PM Cares Fund, a private fund run by PM Modi. The PMO had submitted before the Delhi High Court in January that PM Cares Fund is not a public authority and is therefore not open to public scrutiny nor does it fall under the purview of RTI Act. This begs the question, why should government funds, which are basically taxpayers’ money, be channelled to a ‘private fund’ sans any accountability. There is extreme opaqueness and skullduggery in every aspect of governance, sarkari representatives brazenly defy the judiciary and routinely lie in court. ‘Chori aur ooper sey seenajori’ as the adage goes. Basically the sarkar is saying that it will do whatever it pleases, who is the aam janta to question its actions. This PM Cares Fund (or is it PM’s Care fund?) is a fit case to be taken cognisance of by the Supreme Court, I am sure many skeletons will come tumbling out of the closet.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Satyapal Malik’s claims are serious in nature
Certain revelations that former J & K Governor Satya Pal Malik made in a recent interview have raised questions that are of public interest. This incident that happened during his tenure as Governor of the State in 2018-2019 has become controversial. There needs to be an investigation in to these disclosures. Like the Adani story unravelled, this incident should also have been exposed deeper than what is presented to us now. Satya Pal Malik’s claims about the Pulwama incident are serious in nature. If it’s true, that would show a major lapse on the part of the Central Government. BJP has always displayed a cynical and contemptuous attitude towards all charges, thinking they are never wrong. It should be noted that the BJP had made political use of the Pulwama incident and India’s subsequent punitive attack on Balakot in Pakistan in the 2019 election. The statements issued by Satya Pal Malik, who was then Governor of J&K during the incident cannot be brushed aside. Central Government must come clean on the unfortunate deaths of 40 CRPF personnel by Inquiry Commission and prove that the Governor statements are baseless.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Protect big cats
The death of two cheetahs within a month at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, and one of the big cats venturing outside the park area, raise questions about the success of the ambitious project to translocate cheetahs from Africa. Altogether 20 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa have been brought to the park to establish a free ranging population. Now Namibian experts are warning that the size of their habitat at Kuno is small and the big cats will go outside the park’s boundaries causing a serious man-animal conflict.
The project authorities have stated that the 748 sq km Kuno Park can accommodate 21 cheetahs across its territory or around three cheetahs per 100 sq km based on prey density. But recent research suggests that even in prime habitats, cheetah density is around one big cat per 100 sq km. It is clear that while planning the cheetah project, these factors were not taken into consideration. One way out of this imbroglio is to shift some of the cheetahs to the Mukundara Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, which was also shortlisted for the cheetah introduction plan.
However, political considerations may rule out Mukundara as Rajasthan is a Congress-ruled State. Is it fair to jeopardise the success of the cheetah project by choosing politics over pragmatism? The big cats deserve better.
N Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru
Modernise waste
water treatment
One of the major issues of the present days is the management of wastewater being generated from domestic, hospital, industries, and agricultural sectors. Discharge of wastewater into rivers, seas and oceans harms the aquatic environment in many ways such as acidification, nutrient enrichment, high level of growth, oxygen depletion, etc. This has led to the extinction of rich flora and fauna of aquatic systems and has indirect impact on human health by means of bio-magnifications. Over the years, technologies have developed and many advanced methods have been emerged which are more efficient, cheap and eco-friendly in treating wastewater. Methods like removal of dye-based recalcitrant from aqueous matrices using radical driven advanced oxidation/reduction processes, membrane based separation technique, a combined solvent extraction and ion exchange process and a number of other advanced biological means has to be employed at various levels of wastewater treatment.
Vijaykumar H K, Raichur
Reduce carbon emissions
Perhaps of all seasons in the country, the pre-monsoon summer and the temperature variation that is associated with it, is most troublesome. Many cities have touched the forty degree Celsius mark, and the temperature is hovering around forty and above in some places. Both maximum and minimal temperatures are bound to witness a surge in different cities. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, average earth temperature has risen by 0.8 degree Celsius since 1880. The emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide has largely contributed to the climate change.
Air and water quality suffer during fluctuation in temperature. Electric connection is still a far cry for a considerable chunk of our population and it is estimated that four per cent of population cannot do without air conditioning. Some 75% of the population is said to be exposed to a temperature level that can be fatal. The dying of crops due to the sizzling heat and water scarcity add to farmers’ woes. Infections and diseases lead to absenteeism in workplaces. This can have an effect on our economy. It is incumbent upon India, which has been in the forefront of the Paris Climate Agreement to leave no stone unturned to reduce carbon emission and ensure low carbon production.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
