Let’s tone down Diwali crackers

This refers to various articles that DNA has carried about noise pollution caused by firecrackers during Diwali. The noise pollution causes innumerable problems. Despite clear instructions to reduce noise levels, people overdo things and create a hindrance to patients, children and senior citizens. A person exposed to too much noise for a long time can possibly grow deaf. This Diwali festival saw noise levels reaching a new high with the bursting of loud fire crackers. What’s worse is that a couple of citizens who complained about noise pollution were threatened and one of them was even thrashed despite the presence of policemen. Another major problem is the smoke emanated from firecrackers. Unwanted poisonous smoke is yet another form of environmental disturbance. Those who live in cities are affected by several serious ailments.
—Abhisheck Ramaswamy, Navi Mumbai

We must lend support to Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi is justified in expressing sadness that India has drawn away from the Myanmar National League for Democracy in its difficult times. This should serve as a reminder to the Manmohan Singh government of having abandoned the country’s pro-democracy and human rights policy. The Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has condemned the fact that India is "doing business" with the Myanmar junta. How much the Myanmar leader banks on India’s moral and political support was clear from the answer she gave after her electoral victory. Asked about her expectations from India, she had said: "More, more and more. India can never do enough for democracy in Myanmar."
—Dr Mookhi Amir Ali, Santa Cruz

Implement organ donation laws
DNA deserves congratulations for boldly highlighting the ‘flourishing kidney racket’.Though all that has been published is not new to those either treating or providing healthcare services to patients with renal ailments,it only creates awareness of the need to either remove restrictions regarding donating of organs or to enforce the law. Unfortunately, we have several laws in India. And people are so enlightened with these laws that they are fully ‘conversant’ with ways to violate these laws and yet thrive.
—MVN Raj, Bangalore

State jumps the gun on MTHL toll
Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has said that the rate of toll tax for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link bridge to be built has been fixed. The work of building the bridge has not even started and no one knows when it will start. The government seems to be counting its chickens even before it has even bought the hens. But this is nothing new. The Versova-Ghatkopar Metro rail never did take people into confidence, be it the route, stations or names of stations. The planning did not consider religious structures along the route; or how it would negotiate the railways or the Western Express Highway.
—Anil Bagarka, via email

Autorickshaws are taking us for a ride
Practically all Mumbaiites have routine grievances with autorickshaws and rickshaw drivers’ daily tactics to fleece passengers. All complaints and malpractices fall on deaf ears as rickshaw drivers and cabbies too know that no major action can be taken against them as their unions are strong to support them. However, autorickshaws in Navi Mumbai, especially Panvel, take the cake. It seems errant rickshaw drivers go scot free as they operate hand in glove with the local traffic policemen. Rickshaw drivers charge fares that they feel like. The vehicles are packed with up to six passengers in small rickshaws and a maximum of 12 in the big tumtum rickshaws. The authority that regulates rickshaws and drivers in Navi Mumbai seems to have turned a blind eye to all the goings-on.
—Fabian Edward Misquitta via email

Drunken drives deserve strict punishment
The recent sentencing of Nooriya Haveliwala, daughter of a psychiatrist with the US army, to 5 years plus a fine of Rs.5.32 lakh for drunken driving, brings to light the rising number of such cases on our roads. The court rightly observed that Haveliwala could not deny knowledge of repercussions of drunken driving. Had the Mumbai police not goofed up in sending blood samples for drug test in time, she might have had to spend more time in jail. This fact should also be probed to find whether it was intentional on the part of the police to save the lady from serious charge of drug use. People like Nooriya who are educated and belong to the upper crust of society, deserve strict punishment besides permanent cancellation of their driving licence.
—Yash Verma, Pune

Do we really need escalators at stations?
This refers to the proposal to instal escalators at platforms of major suburban railway stations like Dadar, Kurla, Thane and Kalyan. I feel the idea is fraught with grave danger to commuters. This is because commuers are a highly indisciplined lot. When a local train pulls into the platform of any station, they scramble to the overbridge. They mercilessly push senior citizens/ ladies on their way for a quick exit. In such a situation, if an escalator is provided, commuters may push and jostle and lead to accidents on escalators. Therefore the idea of providing escalators for suburban commuters should be shelved.
—RR Shenoy, via email

Kudos to Bhupati, Bopanna
The champion duo of Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna deserves accolades for taking home second honours in the ATP World Tour finale in London. Shrugging off their Olympic debacle and putting behind the sordid selection drama that preceded it, the Indian pair had done well to bag the Dubai and Paris Masters and were bidding to create history by finishing the season-ending event on a high, but ran out of luck on the home stretch.
—N J Ravi, Bangalore