Play a tune for fifty paise

Sir — The mobile phone menace is getting more unbearable by the day. I have a connection with Reliance Mobile. The company activated a ringtone on my cell phone without my approval or consent. It even started charging me fifty paise a day for something I did not want. When I called the customer care number, the personnel there refused to take my complaint and asked me to call another number. I ended up paying a charge of Rs 3 per minute to deactivate the service. I am outraged, and seriously aggrieved with the company for cheating me like this.

Yours faithfully,
Shounak Bose, Calcutta

Health hazard

Sir — Environmentalists have long recognized the fact that sound pollution severely affects the health of human beings. Their repeated warnings on this issue have caused the government to pass laws that specify the acceptable decibel limit. However, the effectiveness of the laws would depend as much on the law-enforcers as on the people. If the public is indifferent to its own well being, then no amount of enthusiasm on the government’s part can help it. This year’s Diwali proved again that Indians do not care for the laws (“Sound and fury”, Oct 31). Nor do they care for their own health or of their neighbours. Just before Kali Puja, the Kolkata Police had sent circulars, which were distributed along with newspapers, and text messages on mobile phones instructing people not to burst polluting firecrackers like chocolate bombs, kali patkas and the like. But to no avail. Calcuttans burst the banned firecrackers with gusto and even challenged the police when caught in the act. This is a classic instance of dangerous and wilful blindness. Calcuttans cannot continue to take pride in their intellectual capacities if they allow the so-called festive spirit to overcome every consideration of health.

Yours faithfully,
Proma Bhattacharjee, Calcutta

Sir — Since Kali Puja is essentially a festival of light, what is the significance of bursting firecrackers on this day? Furthermore, the puja signifies the victory of good over evil. Sound pollution is one of the evils that put our lives at risk. Hence, adding to the pollution on that day would defeat the very purpose of the festival. Keeping this in mind, Calcuttans should refrain from bursting banned firecrackers on the occasion of Kali Puja.

Yours faithfully,
Amrita Mallik, Calcutta

Sir — Calcuttans do not seem to care about their health at all. Despite repeated warnings from the police, they burst banned crackers to their hearts’ content not only on Diwali but also on Bhai-Phonta and Chhath Puja. I am a senior citizen who was kept awake all through the night of November 4 by Chhath Puja revellers who raised an unholy din and burst noisy firecrackers. Were all the policemen sleeping that night?

Yours faithfully,
Ashok Roy, Calcutta

Sir — If the government is serious about curbing sound pollution in Calcutta, it should look into every possible source of the hazard. The residents of the area adjoining the DumDum airport live in perpetual discomfort caused by the ear-splitting noise of the aeroplanes taking off and landing all round the clock, save a few hours at night. I know of many people belonging to the area who have lost, or are on their way to lose, their power of hearing. But nobody seems concerned about the fate of these people living in places like Narayanpur, Kaikhali, Teghoria and Madhyamgram. The government should wake up to the gravity of the situation before all the people in the area turn deaf.

Yours faithfully,
A.K. Biswas, New York, US