Bad apples
Sir — It’s bananas that the Melbourne Zoo had to put their monkeys on a no banana diet. Other animals are being weaned off fruits too as the red pandas and primates had been gaining weight and some showed signs of tooth decay as well. The reason behind this seemingly odd step — unsurprisingly — are humans. Cultivated fruits have been genetically modified over time to be much higher in sugar content than their natural, ancestral fruits — plums, for instance, have nearly doubled in sugar content over the last two decades. The news might make things go pear-shaped for those on a fruitarian diet to lose weight.
Shraddha Saxena, Calcutta
Wrong move
Sir — The decision of INDIA to stay away from the shows of 14 news anchors is a disturbing precedent, even though the programmes in question mostly shout down any dissenting voice. Indeed, this is precisely why INDIA seems to have scored an own-goal. In a democracy where the space for dissent and disagreement is increasingly threatened, the Opposition’s boycott will do more harm than good. There is no space for blacklisting the media in a democracy. The Opposition must take back its decision and keep raising issues of national importance.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
Sir — While it is true that the godi media does not give the Opposition much chance to speak, by boycotting certain news anchors, INDIA has left itself vulnerable to charges of trampling the freedom of the press. Moreover, these news channels can now have a field day with the propaganda that they excel in without anyone to call them out. This was an erroneous move on the part of INDIA.
Tauqueer Rahmani, Mumbai
Curious decision
Sir — The Calcutta High Court judge, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, has fined the state government of West Bengal 50 lakh rupees for failing to hand over probe papers regarding the Alipurduar scam case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The state government has filed a review petition on the ground that the order was uncalled for as the investigation of the financial scam has been successfully conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department of Bengal.
There seems to be no reason to transfer the case. Doing so without any reason will raise questions about the integrity of the CID. It remains to be seen whether Gangopadhyay complied with all the mandatory provisions of the law while directing the CID to hand over the probe papers to the CBI.
Arun Gupta, Calcutta
Storm warning
Sir — A powerful storm caused two dams near the port city of Derna in Libya to burst, leading to floods that have killed more than 5,000 people (“So deadly, so fast: Libya flood lessons”, Sept 15). The dams had allegedly become outdated and could not withstand 400 mm of rainfall on a single day. Alarmingly, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change forecasts that Mediterranean storms will grow stronger and get more extreme. It is thus crucial that old dams are properly maintained. This should also serve as a warning for India, which is acutely affected by climate change.
Jahar Saha, Calcutta
Inspiring figure
Sir — It was heartening to read that the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has donated his entire life savings of Rs 51 lakh to the disaster-stricken people of his state. This is a laudable effort that is rare for a politician. Such news should be given prime space in print and on TV to inspire others to contribute to the cause.
Shibaprasad Deb, Calcutta
Murky business
Sir — Shipping plays a pivotal role in freight transportation, carrying 70% of the global trade value. But it accounts for about 3% of human-made greenhouse gas emissions with the majority of the freight carriers using fossil fuels. The International Maritime Organization, which governs global shipping, would like to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050. Every country should ratify acts to use environment-friendly fuels to run the shipping industry.
Arka Goswami, Durgapur
Stay in school
Sir — It was wonderful that girls in a madrasa in Murshidabad have taken an oath to not get married till they complete their studies. More girls and their parents should be made aware of the importance of completing one’s education. Education helps girls achieve a better life and independence. But girls are still treated as a burden in India. Unless the attitude towards a girl child changes, the future looks bleak.
Kiran Agarwal, Calcutta
Parting shot
Sir — While the idea of changing the age-old uniforms of those who work in Parliament is laudable, having lotuses on the new uniforms reflects poorly on the Bharatiya Janata Party government. The party would do well to remove it.
N. Mahadevan, Chennai
