Hazardous habit

Sir — The report, “Phone music lapse kills boy” (Feb 21), made me angry rather than sad. Whenever I walk on the streets of Calcutta, I find people talking on their cell phones and listening to music, irrespective of whether they are crossing busy streets, riding motorbikes or driving cars. It makes one want to snatch their phones away from them. The practice of using cell phones while being blissfully unaware of traffic on the roads is dangerous. People who indulge in it jeopardize their own safety along with the safety of others.

Recently, a popular telecom company had launched an advertisement campaign that urged people to walk while talking on their mobile phones. That campaign has been withdrawn, but people still use their phones on the road.

Just as it is illegal to talk on the phone while driving, a similar law should be passed to punish those who use their phones or listen to music while crossing or walking on busy streets. The government must also appeal to the people to put an end to this menace by disciplining themselves better.

Yours faithfully,
Uttara Chaudhuri, Calcutta

Sir — It is now common to hear of incidents in which teenagers lose their lives in train or car accidents simply because they were listening to music on their mobile phones or other portable devices. Yet, there is no sign of this practice being discouraged. Perhaps parents fear that if their children stop listening to music on ear phones, they will play the music loudly, creating a public nuisance.

Technology is advancing rapidly, and the production of gadgets like cell phones has increased by leaps and bounds. Today, everybody can afford a cell phone. However, not everybody can handle these products responsibly. As a result, cell phones and music-enabled devices are often owned by people who misuse them and put themselves in hazardous situations. Cell phone manufacturers and service providers spend lakhs of rupees on advertising and promotion. However, none of them spends any money to create awareness about the responsible use of these gadgets.

Yours faithfully,
Tapan Pal, Batanagar

Too close for comfort

Sir — Unlike the murder of Rima Dawn in a paddy field in Burdwan, or the hundreds of deaths in West Midnapore since September 2010, the brutal murder of Rajib Das has made the inhabitants of Calcutta uncomfortable (“Chosen ones,” Feb 22). However, it is futile to even wonder whether people in this city would have responded to Rinku Das’s desperate pleas for help, because they do not seem to be worried that her calls for help went unanswered at the district magistrate’s bungalow in Barasat.

Calcuttans are scared of the prospect of goons and thugs knocking on their doors. Thus, even though bomb blasts and riots perpetrated by religious fundamentalists outrage them, they do not react so strongly to the atrocities against poor rural people by the Maoists and the Left Front government. They remain secure in the knowledge that they live in the city and are less vulnerable to such horrors. This complacency allows them to ignore the menace or talk about the violence as something that only happens to other people.

Yours faithfully,
Md. Aslam Parvez, Calcutta

Sir —The harassment of Rinku Das, and the brutal murder of her brother, Rajib, are further examples of the administration’s utter lack of concern for the safety of the people. It fell upon Rajib and Rinku to help each other while the administration ignored them. What is worse is that the politicians have turned the grief of the bereaved family into a public spectacle in order to secure votes in the forthcoming assembly elections.They have displayed a flagrant disregard for the dignity of human suffering.The common man’s trust in the state government and law enforcement agencies has been eroded.

Yours faithfully,
Pallavi Srivastava, Calcutta

Sir — Safety of women and law and order in Bengal have become a joke. Citizens can expect no help from the administration. They are unsafe even at the hands of party cadre, who can commit terrible crimes without the fear of punishment. One wonders what will happen after the assembly polls, when politicians and their cadre will not have to worry about accountability for a long time.

Yours faithfully,
Kunal Ray, Chandernagore