Adulteraion all over
Apropos of your editorial ‘Health risk’ (VASHI TIMES issue dated October 6 to 12) on adulteration, it is a big concern for people buying consumer items from various outlets across Navi Mumbai. Adulteration is part and parcel of the present working system and food adulteration has become a way to cheat people. During Diwali and other festival seasons, unscrupulous traders take maximum advantage by adulterating their products. Time and again we find adulteration in foodgrains and milk products. During Diwali season sweets in different forms are made. To make it more profitable, mawa is mixed with sweet to get fine texture as well as increase in quality at a cheaper price. Unscrupulous sweet shop owners make huge profits during this season.
Jayanthy S,
Sector 9, Sanpada

Why this difference?
We all are so used to taking all things lying down without worrying or questioning the concerned authorities about them has left a void. Today, we all suffer because of this lax attitude and taken for granted attitude in every way so that no one bothers to question and accepts everything as though its part and parcel of our everyday process.
This is not exactly how all this that we view seriously should be swept under the carpet, it has to be brought out into the open and made known to the public through print and electronic media. Why are we so hesitant to speak out and lodge our concerns, grievances and issues to the concerned authorities? If you just happen to step out of Panvel railway station, you will find a stark difference at the east and west exits /entries! I think even the Central Railways would not be in an ideal position to answer the very probing questions thrown at them. Why this difference in facilities offered by Central Railways to its commuters who use them daily while commuting from Panvel station.
Only the east side of Panvel station is thoroughly done up to portray as if it as Singapore to all who happen to visit and see it. But, what about the west side of the station outskirts? It is full of dirt, filth on the footpaths encroached upon by street vendors illegally. And the surrounding area even the road leading to the west side of the station seems in a very poor state that everything on the surface cannot be hidden and portrays the lax attitude of the concerned authorities. The condition of this road is so bad that it is a nightmare for motorists to drive on this road.
The common excuse for not doing up the road was the ongoing monsoon, but now with the monsoon having finally withdrawn the authorities should take up remedial measures in the right earnest.
I hope that it would be better if there is better coordination between the Panvel Municipal Corporation and Central Railway authorities to get this work done on a priority basis.
Fabian Edward Misquitta, via e-mail

Sports policy
I heartily welcome the government’s new sports policy which promotes schools to have five periods a week for sports and physical education.
Many sports teachers give physical education a step-motherly treatment and do not teach students proper physical education. There are some schools that have sports period and do not have physical education. The new policy will help the students relieve themselves. Secondly the PT teacher should also teach students new sports and games and not just leave them to play games like kabaddi, kho-kho, etc.
The sports period should begin with physical education and then have games that will teach the students new sports. Every school should have compulsorily physical education and games and not just leave the children to play by themselves.
Cajetan Peter D’Souza,
Pantnagar, Ghatkopar (E)
 

Mobile craze cause
for many accidents
Apropos of the front page news ‘Plugged to death’ (VASHI TIMES dated October 6 to 12), it has been proved by the many tragic accidents run over by trains or vehicles that listening to ear phones / talking on mobile phones while walking near rail tracks or on roads is not in the safety interest of the users.
Talking on cell phone or listening to music by ear phones while walking across or along the railway track distracts the user’s attention from approaching trains, endangering their lives. It is very common among people of all age group to use cell phone while walking, driving cars and two wheeler. The dangers of driving while talking or texting on a cell phone are well documented and several studies have discovered that mobile devices distract pedestrians, yet the users mostly the youth don’t bother to take care, finally ending up as statistic in accident cases!
Such accidents are rising steadily and more and more people die due to talking on mobile or listening to music while walking on road or crossing railway tracks.
Citizens should initiate an awareness campaign to stop such a dangerous habit.
Probir Kumar Bose,
Sector 3, New Panvel

Political unrest
The political unrest that is presently prevailing in the country is not leading the nation to progress but is dividing the country, not just in parts but in the name of God, religion, caste and creed. Whichever political party it may be, it does not dream of One United India, but of a country that is ruled by their own political party, at whatever price!
Now with ArvindKejriwal starting his own political party, it appears that we will have another political party to worry about.
This political unrest is dividing the country and is separating the people in their own political way by misleading them. We need to unite and stand against this political unrest, and together we ahould work to bring India to prosperity. Thanks to these political parties, who has created this political unrest in their own way, India looks like a big fruit cake, complete with many nuts in it.
Cajetan Peter D’Souza,
Pantnagar, Ghatkopar (E)

Gandhiji’s ideals valid even now
Is Mahatma Gandhi relevant today? One may as well ask, is truth relevant? Is nonviolence relevant? Is peace relevant? Is belief in a higher level of humanity relevant? Is love for the other relevant? These eternal values ran like a fine chain through all Gandhi’s ideas, actions, experiments and ideals. Looking back over the years since his death in 1948, one is astounded that any man could aspire to such a high level of ideals, not just for himself but for a whole country.
Gandhi made the impossible possible for ordinary human beings to demonstrate the courage and compassion of a sage, to lay down their lives unresistingly before armed police forces, to refuse to submit to injustice and tyranny, to free themselves from under the tyrant’s foothold, to rise above feelings of ill-will, hatred and revenge, and regard their opponent if not with love, then at least with forbearance, to overcome the conditioning of centuries and remove the stigma of untouchability and female suppression.
Ramesh G, via e-mail

Kaziranga the pride
of India
It is alarming to know that poaching of one horned rhinos is on a rapid rise at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam. Rhinos are left bleeding to death by poachers who remove its horn.
In all 17 rhinos have been killed so far during this year and all had their horns removed by poachers.
Kaziranga National Park, famous for its great Indian one horned Rhinoceros, is a well known wildlife park attracting tourists from all over the world.
In 1985, UNESCO declared this wildlife park, which completed 100 years in 2005, as a World Heritage site.
The Assam government should immediately take strong measures to tackle the poaching problem. The Union Environment Ministry should send central force to protect the park from poachers.
Probir Kumar Bose,
Sector 3, New Panvel