Give heritage a hand, let the clock tick

Recently, when I was passing through the BBD Bag area, I noticed that the clock atop the church, which is one of the most beautiful structures in the business district, was not functioning. Further down, another giant clock on a building near Reserve Bank of India office had also stopped. Would the government take up the task of maintaining these giant clocks since they are landmarks in the city. Also, parts of the premises housing the state Assembly are overrun by weeds and shrubs. Flower gardens can be maintained in those vacant spaces.

Chandan Ray, Sakuntala Park.

Tooth for a tooth

My daughter went to a dentist recently. After examining her and prescribing the treatment he asked for Rs 70 as his fees. After paying the amount she asked for a receipt to facilitate getting a reimbursement under medical allowance from her office. The dentist said that she would have to pay another Rs 30 if she wanted a receipt as he would have to show it as taxable income. It is unethical on the part of doctors to charge extra for writing receipts. Authorities should make it mandatory for them to give receipts for the fee charged.

Md Moinuddin, Jamadar Khan Lane.

Free flow in parched month

Water shortage is common in many pockets of the city in summer, this year being no exception. But uncontrolled flow from roadside taps and pipes across the city is also a usual sight. Even hydrants meant for use by the fire brigade are often misused by footpath dwellers for their daily ablution. Why doesn?t the Calcutta Municipal Corporation take any steps to curb this criminal waste of water while it goes about announcing new infrastructure projects every other day?

Bhupendra Nath Bose, Dum Dum Park.

Magic door

I met with a bizarre incident while travelling in a Metro train a few days back. I had to get off at Chandni Chowk but the door I was standing in front of didn?t open at that particular station. I had to rush to door at the other end of the compartment. What was surprising was that the door had opened at all the previous stations.

Debyani Basu, Saptagram.

In defence

Apropos the letter of Govinda Bakshi published in this column on April 9, State Bank of India?s Bikash Bhavan branch is located near my house. As an IGNOU student, I, too, have to approach this bank twice a year to get demand drafts made. But I have never had to wait for long, a maximum of half-an-hour. So, it is wrong to blame work culture in nationalised banks in general.

Sourish Misra, Salt Lake.