Letters to The EDITOR: Liquor at the wheel of death

Liquor at the wheel of death

Of late, Assam has been reeling under a spate of road accidents across several parts of the state, cutting short countless lives. Many of these mishaps occur at night, primarily due to drunken driving and dense fog. During Magh Bihu, gambling goes on through the night under the garb of tradition, even though it is banned by law. It is no secret that police often overlook these practices, allegedly in exchange for bribes. Drinking during these gambling sessions is the norm, leaving many people drunk, drowsy, and rattled by daybreak, especially those who lose and take the setback to heart. In such a muddled state, some drivers end up mowing down unsuspecting passers-by or morning walkers from behind, snuffing out innocent lives.

What really sets the alarm bells ringing is the sheer number of liquor outlets in Assam, with around 1,795 liquor shops and 1,223 ON shops doing brisk business. The government seems bent on raking in revenue while turning its back on the value of human life. This throws up a burning question: how are other Indian states like Bihar, Gujarat, and Nagaland getting by after clamping a legal ban on liquor? If these states can keep going without earnings from wine shops and bars, why should Assam shy away from taking the plunge? Time and again, liquor has torn families apart, and many innocent lives, particularly young ones, have been wiped out.

The government must take decisive action by closing liquor shops in Assam, except for limited traditional brews intended solely for religious and customary rituals. Otherwise, such tragedies will keep on recurring, pushing more families to the brink and leaving behind scars that may never heal.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok, Jorhat

Iran crisis and

Assam tea

In the wake of the escalating Iran crisis, the tea industry of the state, which continues to be beset with ills, is staring at another disquieting specter. The ongoing imbroglio in Iran has assumed the shape of a prolonged conflict situation. The development will disproportionately impact Assam, given that Iran is the primary destination for the state's premium orthodox tea. In the event of a dip in export, there will be an imbalance in the demand-supply scenario, which results in an adverse impact on price realization at the farm gate level. Sri Lanka, another major exporter of orthodox tea to Iran, may benefit from the slowdown due to its different export strategies. Since Assam produces about fifty percent of the country's total tea, the geopolitical events once again underscore the urgency of diversifying the state's export markets, as this sector is a major livelihood provider for many people. The world community's timely intervention is a must to bring some semblance of normalcy to Iran's prevailing situation in order to prevent the country from moving towards full-scale conflict, which stands to critically impact the export market for Indian tea as well as cause instability for the domestic tea industry while causing substantial financial losses. It is high time for the state's tea industry to have a relook at its export policy before it is too late.

Iqbal Saikia,

Guwahati

The story of the leap year

Have you ever wondered why February gets an extra day every four years? This concept originated with astronomers of the Gregorian calendar.

They calculated that a solar year lasts 365 days, 5 hours, and 46 minutes. To adjust for this extra time, an additional day was added every four years, giving us the leap year.

 Jubel D'Cruz,

(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com)

Another Lal Chowk

During the UPA regime at the Centre, we were very much used to seeing massive stone pelting by mobs on the security forces, leading to serious injuries to our security forces at Lal Chowk, Srinagar. The poor security forces were not given full power to deal with the rioters.

With the abrogation of Article 370 by the NDA government at the Centre, things started to change. Stone pelting by mobs at our security forces stopped completely, making Srinagar a destination for tourists once again. But alarmingly, the same style of Lal Chowk stone-pelting scene was recently observed in Delhi’s Turkman Gate, where an eviction drive was conducted by the DMC against illegal encroachers. The eviction drive led to massive stone pelting by a mob belonging to a particular community, causing serious injuries to our security forces. Who are these stone pelters? They are the same people who tried to pull down the tricolour from the Red Fort some time back. It happens only in India, as India is a secular democratic nation.

Joel Goyari,

Tangla.

Saving Kaziranga’s wildlife

That the foundation stone for the four-lane Elevated Road Corridor Project in Assam's Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve along the existing National Highway 37 has been laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is great news, as it will go a long way in ensuring the safety and security of the wildlife.  To see the light of day in another 36 months, the Rs 6947-crore project should prove to be a lifeline for animals and ecotourism.  During rains, as the park gets flooded, the rush of animals towards the nearby Karbi Anglong hills by traversing across the highway has resulted in deaths of animals like the one-horned rhinoceros. Therefore, the 34.5 km elevated corridor in an earmarked area of Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where definite animal crossings are said to happen, stands to shield many endangered species.

Drastically reduced chances of animal-vehicle collisions also mean safe commuting options for tourists. The Environment and Forest Ministry should ensure that the green cover in and around the park is maintained.

Dr Ganapathi Bhat

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

A condemnable act

The claims made by the composer AR Rahman about the 'communal' discrimination which he had faced in the past eight years in Bollywood sound misleading and are highly exasperating and condemnable. By making such statements, he demonstrated disloyalty to the very industry that had allowed him to receive numerous accolades, including two Oscars. Such disparaging remarks obscure the distinction between a music composer and a religious fanatic.  Demand for music is subject to change in people's preferences. The taste of music is dynamic and is not influenced by religious sentiments. A genre, an artist or a style that is in demand today may become unpopular tomorrow due to various reasons, and it looks unethical for a person of high stature like AR Rahman to play the victim card for getting less work in the industry. India, and more precisely Bharat, and its people have never shown discrimination towards art and music. Had it been so, actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, despite belonging to a minority community, would not have become superstars.

Kabir Ahmed Saikia

Rajabari,Jorhat