Letters to the Editor: Noise pollution should be taken seriously

Noise pollution is a danger we often laugh off. We think it's not that serious of a problem, but it's a slow poison that only grows with each passing day. We think that the problems we are having with our blood pressure, the stress we are feeling, the ever-growing cases of heart diseases are all because of the diet and sedentary lifestyle of the city dwellers and we often forget about noise pollution. Noise pollution is a very big contributor to heart diseases, high blood pressure, skyscraping levels of stress and irregular sleep patterns. The cases of high blood pressure and heart disease in children are very common in today's time, children are often hooked to games where high-pitched sounds are common which takes a toll on their health. Parents should take the responsibility to make their wards understand the effects these high-pitched sounds in games or the use of earphones can have on their overall health. The administration in all the cities over the country can take steps to reduce noise pollution by restricting vehicles on road after midnight because it is seen that a motorcycle engine on road produces about 95 decibels and sounds above 70 decibels over a prolonged period starts damaging our hearing capacity. These steps should be taken at the earliest or else we are looking at a disease-ridden future.

Noopur Baruah,

Tezpur

Pakistan's speech in UNGA

While going through the video of Pakistan's representative in UNGA recently, I was shocked to hear that entire speech of 8 minutes duration, the Pakistani diplomat mentioned the Hindutva at least five times. I am still wondering who wrote the speech for the particular diplomat. Maybe, it was a radical cleric. The diplomat said in his speech that India is using rape as a weapon. Ironically, it was Pakistan's ploy to use rape as a weapon in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The time has come for India to be offensive and along with terrorism, India should raise issues like abduction and conversion of Hindu and Sikh girls in Pakistan and also raise voice against the genocide that is going on in Balochistan.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Nadir

In English, the very word 'nadir' means the lowest point. I was a senior secular citizen of the nation have started feeling that at present the IQ level of the nation's politician has touched nadir. The attitude of almost all the politicians belonging to both the ruling and the oppositions around the nation is a clear pointer in this regard. For them, the interests of their parties are ahead of the nation.

Drishyaa Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Overacting?

After the most controversial Ripun Bora, yet another Bora has become the president of APCC in the form of Bhupen Bora (a losing candidate in the last Assembly polls from Congress). Prior to joining politics, Bhupen Bora was the GS of the Dibrugarh University Students' Union maintaining a low profile with a clean image. But soon after joining Congress and after subsequently becoming the president of APCC, Bhupen Bora seems to have forgotten his own identity as a proud Asomiya. Like other branded Congressmen he overnight became secular and a loyal friend of a particular linguistic minority and started following the appeasement policy of his masters at Delhi. His latest drama enacted in front of Mangaldoi DC Court before the media as a mark of protest against the Dhalpur eviction that was very much overdue should and must have shocked all bonafide Asomiyas. It simply reveals the rat race between AIUDF and Congress to win over that particular linguistic minority community with doubtful nationality and loyalty.

Bhupen Bora, you might have become a hero among the said community by your rhetoric in Mangaldoi have drifted you a thousand miles away from your once own people forever. You will feel it when you visit your own village. The history of Assam will never forgive you.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati.

Farmers' agitation

'Sanyukta Kisan Morcha' staged a 'Bharat Bandh' agitation against the three agricultural laws of the Central Government. Its blow hit some northern states. The agitation took place. But what's next? The lockdown had to do to stop Corona. It has caused a lot of economic loss to the country. The country is recovering after the unlock. In it, the country has been harmed by agitating. This is the first such move since the corona's influence waned. Every sector needs to work hard to accelerate the development of the country. By closing, the general public suffers more.

How did we succeed in shutting down? They are engrossed in saying this. The same was seen during the agitation. The shutdown was successful in more than 23 states. That is said. But that's not really the case. People do not want India bandh, strike or any other movement. What is the use of blocking highways and railways? People in it don't even know why this movement is going on. Yet they are persecuted by blocking their way. It can be said that a movement is successful only if a large number of people participate in it. What is the wisdom in forcing people to get in the way?

Jayesh Rane,

Mumbai

A heinous crime

A shocking and heinous crime took place in Mumbai, where a minor girl was sexually assaulted by many men over a period of nine months. The incident began to unravel when the victim's aunt noticed her restlessness and inattentiveness at an event she took her with. She started keeping a watch over the victim and soon took her in confidence.

In the conversation that followed, the girl narrated that the ordeal started in January. The aunty got in touch with a social worker to lay a trap to catch the accused red-handed. The girl called the accused and arranged for a meeting. Some of the other accused picked her up in an auto-rickshaw while her aunt, uncle and the social worker followed them in the other auto-rickshaw. The rickshaw that the latter was travelling had a punctured tire for which they lost track of the vehicle of the victim. They immediately called the police. The girl, however, managed to send her aunt the location, with the help of which the police reached the location and started looking for the girl. By the time they reached, the girl had already been gang-raped by 6 men, who ran away as soon as they got notice of the police. The police caught 2 of them. They booked 29 of the accused later on and arrested 26, including 2 minors under the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

In her statement, she mentioned that her boyfriend recorded a video of them in an intimate act in January 2021, which he used to blackmail her later on. He forced her to have sexual relations with his friends. She also mentioned that sexual assaults started in January which continued till September this year. A Special Investigation Team, headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Administration) Sonali Dhole, has been formed to probe the case further.

It is indeed saddening and shocking to see our young minds get corrupt like this. Time and again, there have been cases like this and although we have tried to implement women-oriented laws with increased punishment, however, in my opinion, things would not change unless we, as a society, start respecting women. It is high time we taught our men to behave and how to respect women. Although that seems like a distant dream, we can definitely try to make more women-centric laws with stringent punishment, increase the number of women police so that the victims are able to talk to them more openly, increase the number of police patrols so as to prevent crimes happening at nook and corner and also stop blaming indecent clothing as an excuse for such crimes happening. We can also try to make more laws to prevent cybercrimes that are now influencing other crimes.

Subhash Chandra Biswas,

(scbiswasadvocate@gmail.com))