Licensed to love: A child with her four-legged friend at a dog show

Home alone, helpless with domestic helps

Apropos the report ?Contract killer clues elude cops?, August 14, the murder of Lalita Devi Goenka in her 10th floor apartment of Shriniket Building in Alipore is a cause for concern for elderly women in the city. Left alone in highrises, under the care of servants when other members of the family are out at work, their condition is precarious.

That the brutal murder of 71-year-old Lalita Devi definitely involved insiders, as reported by the detective department, has put a question mark on the trust bestowed on domestic helps, security guards and lift operators who are engaged by employers to take care of their homes.

Another such example was Dhananjoy Chatterjee, the liftman of a Bhowanipore apartment, who raped and murdered a schoolgirl when her mother had trusted him with the flat keys.

Calcuttans have every reason to worry as cases of murder of housewives by domestic helps is on the rise.

The matter is significant as such crimes are now taking place in even well-guarded buildings like Shriniket in posh areas, where it is absolutely impossible for an outsider to carry out a killing without inside help.

But householders today cannot do without helping hands, who mostly come to work when the male members are away. And in most highrises, people are not acquainted with their immediate neighbours, making them more vulnerable.

Perhaps the only way out is forming a close rapport with the local police, furnishing them with details and photographs of all the helping hands before employing them. If the servants know that their employers are clued in about their background, they will think twice before committing a crime.

Sunil Banerjee,
VIP Road.

A leash for licensed pets

The report ?No parking for your pets?, August 21, is rather contradictory to the mayor?s image of a go-getter, with his successful endeavours of collecting records from house-owners in the city. Why does he plan to take a short cut where dog licences are concerned? If he has the statistics of only 550 dog owners adhering to the compulsory licensing out of the 10,000 in the city, then why can he not make them adhere to such licensing? I think it?s more because of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation?s new method of doing away with the collar-tab for licensed dogs, whereby there?s no way of making any distinction between a licensed dog and an unlicensed one. Why doesn?t the mayor bring back the tab and then book the owners of those that don?t have them? Instead of imposing such restrictions on pet-owners, the mayor could do better by initiating certain facilities for them as is expected of a civilised metropolis. I am sure he will find various NGOs and individuals to help him.

Gautam Ghosh,
Address not given.

Fresh brew

The report ?Farewell, for a fresh, new look?, August 17, made interesting reading. With the century-old Coffee House shutting down, it is now the turn of Flury?s Tea House on Park Street to get a facelift after 78 years of giving Calcuttans a space for endless adda.

T.R. Anand,
Budge Budge.

Apropos the report ?Mayor feelers for World Bank loan?, August 18, it is a sensible decision of the Corporation and the state government to join hands for the betterment of Metro Rail. There are other issues on which the two should work together. The 125-year-old sewerage and drainage system and filtered water supply are cases in point.

Govinda Bakshi,
Budge Budge .

Apropos ?U-turn over vehicles phase-out?, August 17, it is alarming to note that the government has succumbed to the pressures of transport lobbies in extending the last date of phasing out old vehicles. It is quite clear that the state is in a dilemma to implement the directive in the face of repeated threats from transport owners of withdrawal of vehicles.

Rabindranath Kar,
Sankar Ghosh Lane.

Apropos the article ?Tips to bust bike theft?, August 24, I think the Border Security Force should put up a stricter vigil against Bangladeshi infiltrators. This can be an effective way to curb the motorcycle lifting racket. Owners can also instal alarms.

Anandadip Chowdhury,
Baguiati .

Much has been said after every fire that has taken place in recent times (?Shut shadow on tinderbox mall,? August 19). But nothing seems to stop the next incident. It is good that the fire services department is contemplating slapping a closure notice on AC Market. Action speaks louder than words.

Kaushik Guha,
SN Roy Road.

Skewed logic

Apropos the reports ?Full-house bargains at tourism fair?, August 18, and ?The reason, Bengali season?, August 20, why should Calcuttans be made to cough up the country?s highest entry fee of Rs 25, as against Rs 20 in Mumbai and free entry in Delhi and elsewhere? Footfall at the Calcutta fair is much higher.

D. Ghosh,
Salt Lake.

Apropos the report ?Defence accuses kin in Rajnis case?, August 17, the accusation by defence counsel Nikhil Nandi that the presence of Rajnis? parents by the side of their ailing son during his botched up surgeries contributed to his infection and eventual death is worth a laugh. It is common knowledge that the kin of the critically ill cannot stay with the patient unless the attending doctors permit them to do so. It is ridiculous to blame a member of the patient?s family for the patients?s infection in a hospital.

Kunal Saha,
Ohio, USA.

Contrary to the report ?Ethics thrust in IT sector?, August 3, the Centre for Social Markets has no contact with Institute of Directors, NRA Certification, World Environment Foundation and Centre for Corporate Governance.

Malini Mehra,
Founder & Director,
Centre for Social Markets.

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