Letters to the Editor: Elephant-human conflict

Morangi is an old and historical place in Golaghat district. There are many elephants in the area. Not only in the evening, but sometimes during the day, these wild elephants come right near people’s houses. As a result, people are living in fear and anxiety. The elephants have been destroying paddy fields, palm trees, and even people’s houses. As a result, the people have to live in the open for four or five days on this cold day without a home of their own. The local administration is trying to eradicate the infestation of wild elephants. In this age of science, it is never possible to resolve elephant-human conflict without scientific methods. We cannot only blame elephants for this infestation of wild elephants, but also human beings. This is because people have started factories, industries, and huge buildings in places where elephants live. There are many tea plantations in the country after destroying elephant food. Finally, I would like to urge the Government of Assam, local administration, and concerned authorities to come together and take measures to end this elephant-human conflict as soon as possible through scientific methods; otherwise, it will take a terrible turn as the days go by.

Hritwij Thakur,

Department of Communication and Journalism, Gauhati University.

Healthcare inflation

It seems healthcare inflation has, of late, outpaced general inflation. Several contributing factors have influenced healthcare inflation. It’s a known fact that after the pandemic, healthcare facilities have taken a hit. It’s evidently due to continued staff shortages and lower annual incomes for healthcare workers. Population growth and population ageing are other key factors.

Needless to say, when the population expands, healthcare gets more expensive. Also, chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, etc., can lead to inflated healthcare spending as they drive up health insurance costs. Besides, medical advances, which can, no doubt, extend our lives by improving our health, are leading to expensive healthcare. Today, every individual tends to associate more advanced technology and newer procedures with better care. The newer the technology, the more expensive it is.

Undeniably, some doctors prescribe unnecessary tests or treatments out of fear of having to face a lawsuit, which is frequently called ‘defensive medicine ‘. Though many private nursing homes make their service prices available, they are often quite challenging to navigate and understand. Until and unless the government department takes the initiative to mitigate the lack of transparency in healthcare services, healthcare spending will continue to climb.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok , Jorhat.

Secure our courts

There was a sense of disbelief when Jitender Mann ‘Gogi’ was eliminated by his rival gang just outside the court hall in the national capital’s Rohini complex, the seat of the district judiciary, in 2021. Now, there has been an attack on a woman in the Saket court in Delhi on Friday; the woman has survived the attack. The common factor in both incidents: the assailants came disguised as lawyers with full uniforms in place. Obviously, the all-important question that arises after the attack is the reason for lax security in a place as important as the court complex. Right from the main gate, safety and security seemed to have gone for six. The assailant came dressed as a lawyer, all right, but was there no mechanism to check for the genuineness of a lawyer, especially when the “lawyer” was not a familiar face to the security personnel?

It is clear the assailant was not asked to produce his identity. What about the metal detectors? Whether or not they were used is a daunting question. Was the man checked for any weapons? The story of lax security in courts and their premises may not be different in other parts of the country as well. The frisking of every individual who enters the court compound should be done with patience and perseverance. Audits on security cannot be sidelined. Presiding judges should speak up about inadequate security when needed. Lawyers, too, are expected to be active participants in administrative decision making. The courts of Delhi are not unfamiliar with shooting on the premises.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat,

(gbhat13@gmail.com.)