Oh, for a better city: (From top) A nameplate being attached to a tree; the spick and span plaza; hawkers clear out

While sharing the grief of Rabin’s untimely death at the hands of his teammate, I cannot heap all the blame on Ram, the youngster who attacked him (Shock wave over cricket field death, April 16). Had the other boys on the field intervened, the fight would not have ended in tragedy.

Ram’s attack on Rabin was an immature display of anger resulting from social conditioning. Parents now groom children to succeed at any cost. Ram, who probably grew up in such an environment, could not digest defeat even on the playground and tried to get even by fighting.

Parents in their attempt to make their wards exceptional are instead making them selfish. Discipline and sportsmanship have taken the backseat. Ram can be jailed but that will not correct the social malady that resulted in the death.

The incident also suggests a lack of tolerance among youngsters, who have been influenced by grown-ups. The extreme reaction of the common man after Team India’s exit from World Cup is a good example of the general lack of tolerance.

Subhankar Mukherjee,
Borehat, Burdwan.

A recent survey on trees on Harish Mukherjee Road conducted by an NGO revealed that most of the trees identified by it in 2001 still survive (Road where trees thrive, April 23). But the trees on the road do not reflect the condition of trees in general in the city. More trees are needed on most other roads.

Tying nameplates around the trunks of the trees will make people aware of the greenery around us. However, nails should not be used to attach the nameplates as they might damage the trees.

Such surveys should be conducted on other important roads to ascertain the condition of the trees and identify the areas where saplings need to be planted. The necessity of planting fruit trees to attract birds to the city should also be studied.

These projects cannot be undertaken by a handful of NGOs. The state forest department and the Calcutta Municipal Corporation must chip in. Business houses should provide funds for the projects.

Dinabandhu Mukherjee,
Behala.

The report “Sourav’s bat, Bhaichung’s jersey”, April 20, made for interesting reading. Sourav might have failed to take Team India to the Super Eight in the World Cup, but his contribution, along with those of some other sporting legends, will definitely give a few girls living in Howrah station a home. Three cheers to the stars for lending a helping hand to the poor.

T.R. Anand,
Budge Budge.

Apropos the report “Sourav keen on industry”, April 23, it is wonderful that the former Team India skipper’s donation to BC Roy Hospital is being utilised for the treatment of needy children. The donation bears testimony to the fact that Maharaja has a heart as big as his bat is broad.

Prahlad Agarwala,
Majdia, Nadia.

Apropos the report “Spot fine on litter”, April 23, it is good that the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) has decided to keep vigil at the Lindsay Street pedestrian plaza to prevent spitting and littering. The civic body should be rigid in imposing the fine. The sooner the CMC extends this drive to other parts of the city the better. Some cities in south India have also introduced fines for urinating and spitting on the road.

Sukumar Ghosh,
Mukundapur.

It is heartening to know that the mayor has initiated a move to impose spot fines on those littering the new parkomat. But the amount of the fine — Rs 20 — is too meagre to be an effective deterrent. The fine should be at least Rs 500. The civic body should also extend the fine system to the entire city. More importantly, the fine should be collected diligently. The mayor also needs to tackle the broker raj and corruption in his buildings department.

Kalyan Ghosh,
Ballygunge.

The Corporation should take appropriate steps so that there is no misuse of power by the officials collecting the fine.

Anil Kumar Sen,
Ram Chandra Lane.

Callous cops

The picture of hawkers running away from police with their wares in Chowringhee (Let’s play cat-and-mouse, April 25) underscores the callousness of the city administrators. The police are well aware that chasing away the hawkers will not work in the long run but still undertake such drives. It is an open secret that a section of policemen warn hawkers about raids in advance. So, when the police finally arrive, the hawkers are ready to flee. They come back next day knowing well that there won’t be raids for some time. The cat-and-mouse game only serves to amuse pedestrians. The judiciary needs to intervene to remove the hawkers.

Madhabi D. Ghosh,
Salt Lake.

Campus politics

Apropos the report “Ward office in school”, April 25, a political party has set up an office on the premises of two schools. Howrah Municipal Corporation councillor Mamata Jaiswal’s explanation that the political party can set up office in a school since the property belongs to the municipal corporation is bunkum. Students will find it difficult to concentrate on studies in such an environment.

Ratan Kumar Halder,
Behala.

Training talent

Pollution, junk food and stress are taking a toll on the heart (Cradle for able doctor, April 25). I was shocked to learn that of the 2.5 million heart surgeries in India, only 70,000 are carried out in specialised hospitals and that there is a shortage of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. The programme to tap medical talent from local schools is much needed.

B.N. Bose,
Dum Dum Park.

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