Sir — The former chief election commissioner, S.Y. Quraishi, recently tweeted a video showing a monkey drinking water from a tap and then shutting the water off once he had had his fill. Quraishi rightly pointed out that this is a lesson for humans. While people claim to be an evolved species, it is the simian who seems to have more sense. Public taps are often carelessly left running, wasting a precious natural resource that is fast running out. Even at home, leaking taps are left unfixed to save a few bucks, without considering how expensive water is likely to get because of such wastage.

Roshni Sen,
Calcutta

Safety first

Sir — The editorial, “Age of neglect” (Aug 5), highlighted some serious loopholes in the administration’s plans of protecting senior citizens. These should be remedied at once. With the erosion of values like honesty and morality, crime of all kinds has increased in the city. The elderly who live alone are the most vulnerable to miscreants. One of the suggestions put forward to safeguard them is that of installing closed-circuit television cameras. While there may be some merit in this idea, this should not mean that police do not need to patrol these areas on a regular basis. More than one hotline number is also required to ensure the safety of senior citizens.

Ajay Kumar Deb Biswas,
Hooghly

Sir — Recent incidents in the city underline just how unsafe senior citizens are in the city. The editorial, “Age of neglect”, rightly pointed out that the danger to their lives is also from within the home. Family members murdering their kin for property is not unheard of. People should make a will that stipulates that in the case of unnatural death, the kin will not be entitled to the property. Further, regarding the paucity of police personnel, it must be mentioned that the already short-staffed forces are kept busy looking after the security of the VIPs and political leaders. Given the risks and the lack of respect for the elderly, even living in an old age home does not seem like such a bad option.

Asit Kumar Mitra,
Calcutta

Sir — Senior citizens living alone must be extra careful. Those living in gated communities must not let people in unless they have been vetted by the security guard first. The aged should also be sceptical about everybody — even the most faithful domestic helpers. Moreover, each house should put up an iron gate with a small slot to check the identity of visitors before letting them in.

Benu Kumar Bose,
Calcutta

Sir — The recent murders of senior citizens in the city have left many people worried, especially those who live away from their parents. These days, most families have the younger generations migrating for better career opportunities. Parents cannot always move in with their children, not only because of financial constraints but also because they are attached to their home. It is also true that families are becoming nuclear and ‘para culture’ is disappearing. The latter played a large role in protecting the elderly.

However, with some alertness and precaution, senior citizens can prevent unwanted incidents. They should avoid sharing personal details or trusting strangers. Having the phone numbers of the police, neighbours and other emergency contacts on speed dial can also help. It is also key that residents of a locality take the initiative of giving elderly neighbours the confidence of feeling safe at home by visiting them. Community meetings and ‘get-togethers’ are also great ways of knowing our neighbours. During an emergency, neighbours can come in more handy than relatives.

Kiran Agarwal,
Calcutta

Sir — The remedial steps suggested by Calcutta Police — such as the installation of CCTV cameras — to alleviate the problems of elderly citizens can help the upper middle class and the upper class. But what about those who cannot afford such technology, or do not find it feasible to make several trips to the bank?

Rima Roy,
Calcutta