Flight of fury: A pilot faced with crow peril.

Avian block in aviation path near airport

Apropos the report ?Pilots point to crow peril?, August 26, this could perhaps happen only in Calcutta. On no other approach road to any airport in the country, would you find tonnes of garbage dumped along both sides, as is seen while driving along the eight-km stretch of VIP Road between MBD Airport Hotel and Ultadanga.

Apart from increasing pollution in the area, this hazard is posing serious risk to passengers on aeroplanes, as pilots have complained about the abundance of birds of prey in the vicinity that make it difficult for them to negotiate the area while landing or taking off.

It is a matter of embarrassment for civic and state authorities that pilots have noticed the garbage and the army of scavengers in the air and decided to complain. They fear if the birds come too close to the aircraft, the lives of the passengers will be endangered. Apparently there seems to be no way out from this deplorable condition of VIP Road, which is the most important gateway to Calcutta from the airport for tourists from abroad.

The condition has come to such a pass because of wanton dumping of domestic garbage by the housing complexes on both sides of VIP Road. We notice absolute failure of the civic body?s garbage collection system in the area along the stretch of VIP Road from Ultadanga to the airport.

Could the authorities concerned implement measures to remove the dumping site to a place away from the airport so that people?s lives are not endangered during a flight?

Sunil Banerjee,
VIP Road

No claps for police paunch

It is curious to learn that Calcutta Police provides allowances for sporting large moustaches to its personnel on the plea that policemen with large moustaches pose a threat to offenders. On the other hand, many policemen are obese. May I know what steps have been taken by the state police department to curb this shameful phenomenon?

Prahlad Agarwala,
Nadia.

Apropos the report ?Green board bans tree-axing after replant order flout?, August 28, it is tragic that roadside trees cut for the expansion of carriageway are yet to be replaced by planting new saplings. As people at the helm of affairs have failed to keep their promises with regard to plantation of trees, the Green Board has acted in a logical manner by banning the axing of trees. This can be expected to put a check on the ruthless chopping exercise.

Piyal Mukherjee,
Lake Town.

Apropos the report ?Healthy, wealthy, wise?, August 17, the main object of education should be to help students concentrate in their studies and become better individuals. It is high time the government took a leaf out of Oxford High School?s book, and organised meditation camps to improve the students? mind.

Dalim Kumar Datta,
APC Road.

Apropos the travel report on Shankarpur on August 29, the place is really an ideal tourist spot for a weekend gate-away. A seashore of breathtaking beauty, it can be visited by any tourist to Digha as well.

Ronita Dutta,
Jadavpur.

Apropos ?Drivers flunk safety test?, August 23, the result of the exam to assess the knowledge of driving fundamentals of school bus drivers and helpers, was most shocking. It is no surprise that there are so many accidents on our roads.

Dinabandhu Mukherjee,
Behala.

Apropos the report ?Bridge breach kills, repair buck passes?, August 20, a survey of various bridges in and around Calcutta may be taken and a list may be drawn of bridges which need immediate repair. These should be attended to as soon as possible. The broken railings along Zeerut Bridge caused the death of a two-wheeler rider. To avoid such accidents, all bridges must be properly maintained in order to prevent further loss of lives.

Bhupen Bose,
Dum Dum Park.

The report ?Blaze bells at babu base?, August 24, highlighted the lack of fire-safety measures at Writers? Buildings. Isn?t it ironic that on the one hand the fire minister dictates fire prevention norms to supermarkets and plazas while the very seat of governance has obsolete electrical wirings and hence, is far from being fire-proof?

Rajdeep Guha,
Golpark.

Apropos the report ?Demolition skirts party offices?, August 30, it is interesting to note that the authorities of the Rajarhat-Gopalpur municipality have removed unauthorised road construction including offices of political parties in the area. However, it could be pointed out that illegal structures have already cropped up at the Lake Town link road-VIP Road crossing.

Rabindranath Kar,
Sankar Ghosh Lane.

Apropos the report ?Post bandh growth spurt?, August 27, it is heartening to note that the IT industry is making rapid strides in Bengal with the active interest shown by the state government. The labour situation in Bengal has improved in recent times.

Debaprasad Mukherjee,
Nayapatty Road.

It is really sad to learn that a Class VIII student committed suicide for not doing well in studies and being scolded by his parents for it (Student, anchor in suicide quartet, August 28). Students who are unable to cope with studies should be exposed to other vocational courses. A shift in attitude is desirable; parents must understand that education is not everything in life.

Ashok Kumar Ghosh,
CIT Road.

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