Letters to The Editor: E-commerce waste

With the increasing number of online buying, the evident effect is the rising number of packets and cardboard boxes. These small and seemingly insignificant packets are unknowingly creating a threat to the surroundings, especially in the semi-urban areas where full-fledged municipal waste collection facilities are still lacking. Most of the people either throw away or burn these packets. Throwing these boxes can block the drainage system, and the consequences are the monsoon maladies on the roads.

Most of the boxes we receive are in good condition and can be reused directly by changing the shipping details. In this regard, the e-commerce giants can take some initiatives to collect the packets under the banner of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. That initially may put some added levies on the companies. But in the longer horizon, this will be helpful to steadily reduce the environmental impact and, maybe, sustainable management of this waste.

Sourabh Pran Borah,

Teok.

Mohoho & Halloween

The human race is tied together with an imaginary thread. They exhibit the same characteristics irrespective of continental differences. Almost all folk cultures of different communities in the world have something in common. The other day I was reading about our Assamese festival "Mohoho" which is celebrated in most parts of lower Assam. Mohoho is celebrated on the full-moon day of the month of 'Aghon' where cowherds of different villages gather together with bamboo sticks in one hand and a lantern on the other. They go to every family in the village and sing the "Mohoho" songs. The whole purpose of this festival is to get rid of mosquitoes and other insects and to keep the villagers safe from the diseases transmitted by these insects. The villagers offer gifts in the form of money, hen, ducks or whatever is available in the house.

Halloween is another such folk festival. Its roots have been traced to the ancient Celtic festival of 'Samhain' when people light bonfires and wear weird costumes to ward off the ghosts. The Celts who lived 2,000 years ago -- mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France -- celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter -- a time of each year that was often associated with human death. The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated 'Samhain', when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. They burned crops and animals as sacrifice to the Celtic deities. In the modern form of 'Halloween', kids knock at the doors of their neighbours and ask a question 'Trick or Treat' and they are offered candies, clothes or other such gifts.

Somewhere these two festivals -- 'Mohoho' and 'Halloween' have something in common. While the latter is famous all over the world, the former is still under the blanket of anonymity. I urge the Assam government and especially the Department of Culture to give such folk festivals a new lease of life. It has been observed that the 'Halloween' is celebrated even in Assam. Well, we have to inculcate among the younger population the spirit of good -- no matter where it comes from; but then, we will be a laughing stock before the world if we do not know anything about our own culture.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur.

Parliament's Circus

The monsoon sessions of parliament are going on, but it seems like it is not a session but a circus. Except for a discussion on essential matters, everything is happening in the session. The 543 members of the Lok Sabha are elected by people so that they serve the people of their constituencies. If the monsoon session goes on like that, how can we expect anything tangible from our elected members?

Chandan Kumar Nath,

Sorbhog.

APDCL must be cleansed

As we know, State Power Minister Bimal Bora had sharply criticised the APDCL for its sloppy performance. It should be recalled that the power utility has been incurring a monthly loss of around Rs 150 crore due to the short realization of monthly electric-consumption charges. Its outstanding liabilities amount to Rs 1,200 crore -- now payable to the generation companies for purchasing power. As a reaction to the Minister's ire, the APDCL swung into action against defaulters. But in an overreaction to its drive, the APDCL took up cudgels against its own consumers -- while many of them had nothing to be blamed. A few days back, a news item revealed that the APDCL had stopped power supply to the Karimganj Municipal Board as the latter owed payments. But, the move plunged the entire district and also the town into darkness. Didn't the denizens suffer for no fault of theirs?

It appears that the distribution company resorted to this strategy to divert attention from their culpable negligence of accumulated loss of revenues for various reasons. The APDCL is singly accountable for the huge uncollected revenues and the increasing theft cases that were detected during the drives which yielded a whopping amount of approximately Rs 15 crore. The sacking of the A PDCL CGM (anti-theft & security) and also the suspension of CGM (Commercial) along with five other staff speak volumes about the financial status of the power producing-and-distribution company as a whole. The State Government should initiate measures to go for a full-fledged probe onto the entire gamut of affairs of APDCL. Action must be taken against corrupt officials. Graft in any form must be weeded out and the system cleansed. Only such a well-meaning dedicated effort can equip the APDCL with means to improve its service-delivery process to the community at large.

Pannalal Dey,

Guwahati.