Letters to The EDITOR: Surge in cyber scams

Surge in cyber scams

Through the column of your esteem daily, I would like to highlight the urgent need to address the rising cyber scams in the state. With digital platforms becoming a vital aspect of life, we are bound to rely on this online service system for even multiple basic tasks. Though the digital platforms facilitate our lives, they also offer opportunities to the potential scammers to dupe innocent masses.  With each passing day, these scammers come up with new strategies to drain financial assets from common folks. To counter this surge of cyber scams, I request the authorities to focus on strengthening the cybersecurity measures and their infrastructure along with improving the response from law enforcement agencies. Educating the common masses on how to dodge such scams is also an important combat strategy for this issue.

Rimakshi Barman,

Cotton University

Jal Board pipeline burst

Yet there was another pipeline line burst on January 2. People, having some experience in the execution of various pipelines, have no hesitation to say that it was a joint failure, rather than the pipe itself. The situation suggests that many more are in the queue to follow suit. The joints become the weakest points, if not properly welded, which determine the strength of the pipeline as a whole. On the other hand, if the joint is properly welded, then the joint would be stronger than the parent material. God forbids; redoing all joints of the whole pipeline network is not required! Normally, water lines are considered noncritical. All welding joints of the water line are subject to Dye Penetrating Test (DPT), and only 10% of the total joints are subjected to X-ray (NDT). The design pressures of water lines being constructed by Jal Board could be in the range of 3-15 kg/cm² to meet different requirements. However, in refineries, petrochemicals, cross-country gas lines, etc., the working pressure of pipelines is in the range of medium pressure (10-40 kg/cm²), high-pressure lines (40 to 100 kg/cm²), very high pressure (100-350 kg/cm²), and ultra-high pressure lines (350 kg/cm² and above).  By stating the above, I want to drive home the point that we hardly hear of pipeline failures in industries since they are properly welded, monitored, and tested.

The 21st century is marked by significant engineering and technological advancement. We have witnessed extraordinary innovations in the fields ranging from artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, space exploration, etc. Engineering and technological marvels have the power to leave us spellbound by showcasing the ingenuity, creativity, and problem-solving capabilities of humanity. The repeated breakdown of water supply lines suggests that we are still a million miles away from keeping pace with new advancements.

Prafullachandra Dowarah, 

(prafulla_dowarah@yahoo.co.in)

Child abandonment

 Child abandonment cases are on the rise in India, with incidents of babies being deserted in trains, platforms, markets and even dustbins coming to light.   Sometimes one is merely left to wonder about the vanishing humanity of “parents”.   That deserting one’s own offspring, born of wedlock or otherwise, is a very heinous crime that does not need to be overstated.  Poverty, physical and mental disability of child or one or both the parents, drive people to ditch their child.  Children are often placed in crowded places as the deserters hope the babies would land in “safe hands”.   If only this humanitarian thought had flashed in the minds of the parents before abandoning their own creatures, the world would have been a better place to live in.

No amount of education or awareness seems to help the cause of the small kids.  

There is no reason to elaborate on more female infants being subjected to this phenomenon. In India, 7 out of 10 abandoned children are girls. It is also clear that children of unmarried couples are more prone to abandonment if one considers the fact that the infants below 12 months are most vulnerable to being deserted. The gut feeling is that the offenders are quite often let scot-free due to social, cultural, and legal issues involved in child abandonment. This should change, and the offenders merit little mercy. Onus also lies on people who remain mute spectators of child abandonment. They should bring any doubtful activities of a man or woman to the notice of the law enforcers.

Dr Ganapathi  Bhat,

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

Bull taming in India

 Jallikattu is a bull-taming sport practised for years in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The sport is also known as Eruthazhuvuthal or Manju virattu in Tamil. It is also conducted in several parts of other states under different names. The Jallikattu is actually practised as a Tamil tradition during the celebration of Pongal. In Jallikattu, the bulls are not harmed or killed by any means. But instead, they are well-fed with a nutritious diet and carefully tamed for the event.

 Usually, the event marks the taming of bulls. Farmers use the tamed weak bulls for agricultural purposes, while they use the untameable strong bulls for breeding. This is how this Jallikattu tradition in Indian villages preserved the ecosystem. In my opinion, this sport should not be banned, as it has been going on since ancient times in Tamil Nadu.

Jubel D’Cruz,

(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com)

Crowd crush occurs again!

In a heart-wrenching incident, six devotees died and many others got injured in a stampede that occurred in Tirupati, where a large crowd had gathered to collect tickets for Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at the Lord Venkateswara temple. 

Whenever a stampede occurs, a list of questions arises regarding the precautionary measures taken by the organisers, the crowd management tactics arranged, and the various tactics readied if such an untoward incident occurs. Sad that these are not seriously taken before conducting the events where heavy crowds normally gather. Be it music and dance shows, film premieres, festivals and processions at worshipping sites, fairs, and miscellaneous functions, the organisers and the programme conductors should definitely sketch a ‘risk avoidance’ plan in case such mishaps happen. 

Meticulous crowd management measures, smart and alert security, and quick response action taken in case of such incidents can help avoid crowd crushes. Appropriate measures can be taken with the latest technology, like AI, drones, and anti-stampede monitoring alarms. Also, multiple exit arrangements can prevent such incidents from happening again. 

M Pradyu, 

(pradyumukund22@gmail.com)