Switched plates
Sir — Food delivery applications often have to eat humble pie after messing up orders. For example, a woman in Ahmedabad recently received a chicken sandwich instead of one with paneer. She was so traumatised at having consumed chicken instead of paneer that she filed a complaint with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s health department, demanding fifty lakh rupees as compensation. Complaints about receiving the wrong food order are not uncommon. What is surprising, though, is that such grievances always seem to come from vegetarians who have been served non-vegetarian food. While the anger of vegetarians is understandable, imagine the disappointment of ordering mutton biryani and receiving paneer pulao instead.
Gautam Pawar, Mumbai
Loose canon
Sir — It is shameful that the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Puri, Sambit Patra, said that Lord Jagannath is a bhakt of the prime minister, Narendra Modi. This not only hurt Odia pride but is also an insult to the devotees of the deity. Patra later said that it was a “slip of the tongue”, which is a poor excuse. If an Opposition leader had made such a mistake, Patra would have made a mountain out of a molehill.
This is not the first time that BJP leaders have compared Modi with god or even historical figures. He has been called an incarnation of Chhatrapati Shivaji and portrayed as greater than M.K. Gandhi in the past. Such sycophancy is shameful.
Zakir Hussain, Kazipet, Telangana
Sir — Sambit Patra should be careful with his utterances. While Patra has apologised for his comments, it is unlikely that his political rivals will let such a gaffe slide, especially during the general elections. But overdoing this criticism is pointless.
Sukhendu Bhattacharjee, Hooghly
Slow poisoning
Sir — Selling adulterated food products is a crime; yet it is rampant in India. Such practices put not just our health but also the economy at risk. Companies export adulterated food items and substandard medicines to other countries, tarnishing the image of India. Previously, toxic substances like diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol were found in unacceptable amounts in medicines exported by India. More than permissible levels of ethylene oxide have been found in some leading spice brands. Such adulterants can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and allergies. What is worse, they can also have carcinogenic, clastogenic and genotoxic properties. The government should take cases of adulteration more seriously and bolster the laws against it.
Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana
Sir — India’s image as the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices is at stake. The Federation of Indian Spice Stakeholders has said that the recent ban on Indian spices imposed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Maldives, Australia and Nepal owing to the alleged excess of ethylene oxide by popular brands like MDH and Everest could potentially reduce spice exports by up to 40%. Transparent operations and proactive communication with international regulators are essential to safeguard India’s spice legacy. Indians, too, need reassurance that the spices they consume are safe. The government has failed to assure consumers that the companies at fault are being scrutinised.
Shovanlal Chakraborty, Calcutta
Right move
Sir — The Calcutta Municipal Corporation has modified its e-waste collection policy (“KMC to collect e-waste and pay you for it too”, May 19). Earlier, it used to accept voluntary deposits of e-waste from households. Unfortunately, this initiative received a poor response. In order to improve e-waste collection, the CMC now promises to pay the depositors of such waste. The location of the collection centres and the quantum of the monetary incentive will be critical to the success of the policy. Further, if there is data stored in any of the discarded devices, special care needs to be taken to dispose them.
Abhinab Paul, Baripada, Odisha
New technology
Sir — Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles are becoming popular in India’s agricultural sector. Drones offer a wide range of benefits to farmers. They can capture high-resolution images and provide information on crop health, growth and yield. This can help farmers identify problems at an early stage and take corrective measures.
However, there are challenges that may hinder the adoption of drone technology: lack of knowledge, little scope for training and regulatory barriers are some of these. Moreover, drones are expensive and many farmers may not have the resources to afford them. There is thus a need to make drones more affordable to farmers and provide them with financing for the same. This will require a coordinated effort from the government and the businesses.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Shameful
Sir — It is disheartening that a group of men raided a building belonging to the Ramakrishna Mission and assaulted its staff in Siliguri. It is suspected that the local land mafia is behind the attack (“Mission building attacked, glare on land mafia”, May 21). An attack on this humanitarian institution cannot be tolerated. The chief minister of West Bengal should take immediate steps so that such an incident does not recur.
Deba Prasad Bhattacharya, Calcutta
Novel approach
Sir — The Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam, led by the Tamil actor, Vijay, plans to appoint two lawyers for every police station in the state to provide legal aid to the poor. This is an innovative approach. At present, it is a Herculean task to lodge a police complaint and deal with legal matters.
N. Mahadevan, Chennai
