Academy

Important Editorial Letter

The price of all essential goods has at present risen up very high much to the distress of the general
people. The price of rice, cereals, oil, spices, vegetables etc has gone beyond the reach of the middle
class families, not to speak of the lower paid people or the day labourers. The poor people who live
from hand to mouth are the worst affected. We find no valid reason why this should be so.

Sale of exposed fruit on street

Of late it has become a fashion to sell out fruits on the streets, especially before the schools. The fruit
pieces lie uncovered and so are open to harmful insects and poisonous dust particles of the streets. This
is causing harm to all, especially the school children. Almost every day students consuming them fall
ill. These cut fruits are spreading infectious diseases. Everyone sees this but nobody cares to stop them.

Bad condition of roads

The roads in our area are in such a condition that it is not possible for us even to walk along them, not
to speak of plying of vehicles. Everywhere they are full of ditches. As a result accidents are occurring
here almost every day. We do not remember when the roads were made. For years no repair work has
been done.

Non Clearance of garbage

Of late the people of our locality are very unhappy because the entire area has become a hell on the
earth. The garbage is not removed regularly and drains are lying choked here and there. Consequently
bad smell is always coming out from them. No word is sufficient to describe the horrible atmosphere
here. We fear that infectious diseases may at any time break out here, because these dumping grounds
have turned into breeding grounds of harmful flies and mosquitoes. We repeatedly requested the local
civic authorities to redress our sufferings but to no effect.

Bad condition of health centre

The Health Centre in our area is at present lying in utter disorder. It is the only source of medical help
for at least ten villages. But it is a matter of great regret that there is neither any medicine nor any doctor
available here. Besides, the Health Centre is so dirty and unhygienic that far from curing diseases it will
cause diseases to those who will come inside it. As a result of this the poor villagers here are dying
without medical help.

Movement of stray animals roaming about on the roads

Stray animals not only cause traffic jams but also severe accidents. Just three days ago I witnessed a
biker chased by dogs. He tried to drive away, in the process jumping red light and meeting with an
accident. Yesterday a bull gored a person so badly that he needed to be admitted to a hospital. Despite
many complaints to the concerned authorities, no action has been taken so far. These stray animals are
becoming a nuisance. They are a danger to not only us but to themselves also.

Indiscriminate use of microphones

Indiscriminate use of microphones has become an inseparable part of our festivals, religious or
otherwise. It causes great inconvenience to all classes of people. It rudely overrides our right to work
in peace. It disturbs the study of students who cannot prepare their lessons in peace. It disturbs also the
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peace of those who are ill. The permissible limit as determined by the Pollution Control Board is
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flagrantly violated by blaring microphones.

Created, Edited and Compiled by: Prabaditya Mallik, M.A, ELT

Hawkers have really posed a great problem in our town. They illegally occupy the footpaths and build
their temporary business structure. This causes obstruction to the movement of the people on the
pavements. As a result, they are compelled to walk down the busy roads and streets, causing traffic
jams. Thus, they run the risk of meeting with serious accidents. Besides, the hawkers call their trade cry
loudly to attract the attention of the pedestrian. Consequently, their minds are distracted from what they
are doing using the main road. This leads them to serious accidents too.

Reckless Driving

Invention of cars and bikes help to satisfy people’s need for transportation. Although, driving
defensively is the global demand for using cars, still there are some drivers and bikers practicing
different kinds of reckless driving on the street. Buses always tend to overtake each other. It seems
every driver wants to reach their destination before all, due to which they constantly break traffic rules
and due to this accidents occur at a rapid rate. Many offenders are punished for traffic violations but
are allowed to continue driving.

Inconvenience in reserved train compartments

I travelled recently to New Delhi by the 81-Up superfast airconditioned express. All berths in the
compartment were reserved. But I found that at least 30 passengers who had no reservation were
allowed to get into our compartment (II class three-tier sleeper). The ticket examiner did not check the
tickets of these passengers or any other passenger.
I saw hawkers, beggars, shoeshine boys and self-employed floor cleaners moving freely in the
compartment, much to the discomfort of passengers with reserved accommodation. I fail to understand
how ticket examiners allow all this to happen in a superfast train.

The harm that is caused to the environment by the use of plastic bags and plastic cups.

Nowadays, plastic is used at a large scale in various forms. The most popular use of it is in the making
of plastic bags and plastic cups. These are used widely to carry food materials, groceries, fish, meat,
etc. and to serve tea, coffee, cold-drinks, etc. Though they are light, convenient and cheap, they create
serious threats to environmental balance and healthy life. They are not biodegradable. As these are
made of harmful chemicals, they are not safe for health. Throwing them away carelessly here and there
creates lots of problem. They stop the flow of water in the drainage system. As a result, roads remain
waterlogged for days together, particularly during the rainy season. When they mixed with soil, they
prevent entry of air and water into it affecting proper cultivation.

Use of Loudspeakers during festivals

During the festive days we feel extremely disturbed at the noises from the thoughtless use of
loudspeakers. I wonder what kind of entertainment the loudspeakers bring for us. They have only cheap
film songs to blare out all 24 hours at high pitch. It is quite difficult to sleep peacefully at night especially
where the pandal is close at hand. None can have a wink of sleep. A dutyman cannot perform next day's
work well if he passes a previous night sleepless. But all these nuisance cannot be protested. Common
people do not support the person who comes bravely forward to stop it.
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Created, Edited and Compiled by: Prabaditya Mallik, M.A, ELT