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TO THE EDITOR
Vocal on testing of Branded liquid milk Presently everybody is concerned about the powder milk. A lot of talking is going on about its testing method and its result but nobody is talking about the method of samplecollection.
I think BSTI should clearly mention the sample collection method of powder milk. My second concern is about the quality of liquid milk. I am sure that these milks will be tested positive for melamine. I think that the nation will be benefited if the liquid milk available in the market is tested immediately and the result is published with the powder milk.
MM Zahid Ahmed
On e-mail
Hospitality in hospital!
We were astounded to read the report captioned 'Hospital hospitality’ in The Daily Star on October 20. These people looted, plundered, vandalized and indulged in highest degree of financial and moral corruption in the country. We still call them VIPs and mete out 'Jamai ador' to them in hospitals. Shame on our doctors, and the relevant authorities! They are ought to be called VCPs (Very Corrupt Persons). By no definitions thieves can be honoured and called VIPs.
People like ’thief king' Babar, Giasuddin Mamun et all should have been tried so that people could understand what happens when a nation and its common hard working people are robbed. deprived and cheated in the highest possible magnitude. Cut down the 'poison trees'. Nobody is indispensable and these people are certainly not in any useful category. SN Mamoon
On e-mail
Weekly holiday
I like to draw the attention of the Chief Adviser Mr. Fakhruddin Ahmed regarding the above mentioned issue. Recently it has been covered in different newspapers that the present government is considering to cancel present weekly holidays and reintroduce one day weekly holiday. It has been reported that the one-day weekly holiday would be observed on Sundays, instead of Fridays and Saturdays, to be in touch with the
western world. I like to inform the present government that those of us who are doing private service, two-day weekly holiday gives us an opportunity to get some relief and do some social and family activities. I believe one-day weekly holiday will definitely increase the productivity of some companies but the monetary impact will be enjoyed only by the owners ofthose companies and not by the commonpeople.
If we look at other western countries like UK, USA and even India, they enjoy two-day weekly holiday. So, are they going backward? I also like to request the caretaker government not to cancel the weekly holiday on Friday as some people get the chance to go to mosques only on that day, as that is the “Jumma Prayer Day".
Sameer Sheikh
Khilgaon,Dhaka Road crisis
Recently, the crisis that commuters face on the roads have risen to such an extent that even a standard trip from one place to another by any means of transport requires a war to be waged on anyone and everyone, anything and everything. I live in Bonosrce, Rampura, and I travel daily to my workplace in Dhanmondi. Earlier, I would take an auto-rickshaw or taxi, and reach fairly on time. Nowadays, it's getting tougher to get any kind of transport. Not a single person (Auto-rickshaw or taxi) agrees to go the length, and even if they do, they ask for a sky-high price, which at most times, is way beyond reasonable. They give excuses like too much traffic jam, lack of enough
gas, malfunctioning engine (whereas if any agreeable passenger with a more agreeable destination comes along, all of a sudden, the engine sings sweetly enough to work!). My personal favourite excuse, which keeps recurring, is' when the drivers whine about not getting any other passenger from Dhanmondi. Is that believable? In a place like Dhanmondi, autorickshaw/taxi passengers are not available?! Incredulous!
Then, the conditions on the road are not, in any way, good, whichever route you choose to reach your destination. The recent influx of new cars, reconditioned autorickshaws, taxis and buses, the "banned before 9pm" trucks and the ever-present rickshaws on the roads clog up so much, it gets worse than how a seasonal-change fever clogs up our throats! I wish to know, that if it is not allowed for trucks to travel on the roads before 9pm, why is it they arc visible at all times of the day, making life hell for die rest of die commuters? We sec traffic police at every intersection and crossing, and several police patrols on car or bike. But what we don't see is the law being implemented, in this case, catching the law-breakers and levying on them a punishment which will make them think a hundred times before breaking die law again.
This is an honest plea from a fellow sufferer on the road, to all authorities concerned: Please make everyone follow traffic rules, and teach the violators a lesson they will never forget. Also, die owners of the companies running auto-rickshaws and taxis on the roads should follow up with dieir drivers and explain to them that there is no point in driving a autorickshaw/taxi if they wish to take only the passengers who wish to go to a destination they (the drivers) consider ideal. I have sometimes seen taxis spending the whole day in one spot, because they did not get any ideal passenger. Where is the sense in that? So please, everyone, we are all fellow humans, don't treat us like animals.
Sisil Kabir On e-mail
Power wastage by the powerful Letters on a wide variety of subjects by the prolific Mr S A Mansoor have adorned the Letters Page of the DS for a long time. He has simultaneously hit the jackpot and the nail on the head in the concluding para of his last letter "Temporary Relief” in DS, 20 Oct 08. This is well worth repeating:
" This is the paradox of poor thinking of our powers diat be, who encourage (waste of electric) power for useless luxuries, while curtailing necessary power for studies (irrigation, shops, small industries etc) in the suburbs of Dhaka.”
1 can personally vouch far this with another stark example of the misuse of power by die powerful. After the Eid lull, the traffic cops are out in full force with their rickshaw-tyre puncturing weapons on theVIRWIP andVWIP roads. Last evening at 6 PM, I (75 years old, with by-pass and cataract operations) was ejected from my rickshaw on my home (Niketon) from work (Banani) together with many other elderly people, women, children, disabled and those carrying small loads (including myself, carrying some 5 kgs of groceries from the BDR store). We were then forced to walk with our loads (my 5 kgs seemed like 100 kgs by the time I reached home) in the dark, pot-holed, pavement-less, barbed-wired Mohakhali Road, while just a few private cars (mosdy empty-half empty) and packed buses were rushing alongside with blaring horns and blinding lights on the near empty road (a rare miracle).
Experience one such horrendous journey on the uneven, dug up road, and even the most ardent atheist will start believing in a Divine Being - One who looks after His unfortunate Bangladeshi flock
What sort of a society are we living in, where more than 50% of the people are either deprived of their livelihood (rickshaw-related families) or rickshaw users of their most convenient, cheap, fast and environmentally safe means of mobility????? All this so that some servile public servants (what a misnomer!) can fawn over a mere 1-2% of the privileged class by giving them free access to roads (paid for by all taxpayers) with their vast assortment of luxury gas guz-zling monstrosities, usually obtained by dubious means and some, whose road and fitness taxes may not been paid for years (recent DS Reports).
Sikandcr Ahmed Niketon, Gulshan-1 Dhaka
lama voter...
I am 21. Therefore, definitely I did not see the 1971 Liberation War, but I had felt the cruel nature of war through 1/11, the political upheaval in the history of Bangladesh. So far we have seen many trends in political arena whereby 1/11 was the most remarkable one. The 1/11 has exhibited the sheer spectacle of all the major parties to become the rulers, divulging their avarice of grabbing the power. Does democracy mean that country will be
hampered in its many systems like In terms of education, in case of earning foreign currency through export, and running business smoothly without any interruption? In our country, democracy is not of the people, by the people, for the people; rather it's like democracy is of the politicians, by the politicians, for the politicians. Other than the general citizens, politicians arc earnestly concerned about bringing back the democracy even when many of their accomplices arc languishing in jail, arid others are at large. ,
The way anarchy, vandalism, extremism and atrocities have been displayed by our so-called politicians, arc simply terrible and utterly unacceptable. And these phenomena have made this shortterm government impose the state of emergency, which has helped lead our country without any major political turmoil.
When election is knocking at the door right at this moment all the major parties arc reluctant to partake in the upcoming election, why? Earlier, all the major political parties used to urge this government to hold the election by mak ing all necessary provisions! Our question is why they are reluctant to take part in the election under the state of emergency?
I am indeed baffled as to who to vote as I have some bad experience. Hasnat
On e-mail
The advantages of rickshaws
Given the crowded conditions of Dhaka's roads, when total trip time is considered, motorized transports have little advantage in speed over non motorized. In addition, unlike motorized vehicles, when rickshaws are caught in traffic jams they emit no air pollution, waste no fuel, and make no noise.
Rickshaws provide the most efficient way to move people or goods to a short to medium distance. According to UN-ESCAP, 70% of travel in Dhaka are under 2 kilometers. For such travels, walking, cycling, and rickshaws are very appropriate, as they waste no fuel, create no air or noise pollution, and take very little time. It is a waste to use a car for such a short distance, and the waiting time for buses makes the trip potentially longer than it would by rickshaw or other means.
The best transport for women, small children and the elderly is rickshaws. When rickshaws are banned, it is these groups who suffer the most. In addition, many poor people earn their living by pedalling rickshaws.
This benefits not only the pullers, but their families as a whole. One survey shows that 5 million people throughout the country are dependent on rickshaws for their livelihood.
Rahidul Sam anna Roky Dhaka University
Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway
I would like to invite you to travel for a couple of hours towards Mymensingh in the morning hours and return after three to four hours. Please let me know which day you are free and what time. No I will not take you to Muktagacha for Monda or Mymenshingh for Malaikari of Shudhir Gosh. But I would like to show you the miserable condition of Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway. This is a shame for the R&H or rather I should say it is a shame for the division of R&H concerned. Do they have any (shame)? How are they continuing with their job and drawing salary from public money? This poor and devastating condition did not happen in one or two days or months but we aft seeing Ibis'fof' years togetherwith no end in sight.
I wish I could send all the people who are responsible for maintenance of this road to travel daily by bus to and fro and enjoy a ride. Mohammad Nazakat Ali Pallabi Extension
Dhaka
Roaming in Dhaka city Few days ago my cousin came from Europe with his parents and we decided to roam the Dhaka city. My cousin was having some health problem he was not happy about staying in Bangladesh. One day we took a CNG taxi at Farm Gate where some buses and cars made a complete mess. The bus moved haphazardly and my cousin was totally afraid. He thought that the drivers were drunk and the sound, the pollution and the huge mass of
people walking here and there aggravated the whole situation and finally after waiting in the traffic Jam we reached the parliament building. Then for the first time I heard something positive about Bangladesh from him when he said that the parliament building is really beautiful. But he complained about the rubbish thrown here and there by the people. As we were returning home we did not get a taxi and my cousin got very angry. Luckily we got one at double the usual fare but he was quite afraid because of the way it was running. When I arrived home he said he had experienced many thrilling, exciting and scary adventures in many places of the world but the one in Dhaka was one of the most terrible ones. I tried to defend my -pride by saying that we Bengalis are braver than others so we don’t fear these small things.
Md Mahbubur Rahman
Student
European Standard School Old Town, Dhaka
Is Homeopathy a science?
More or less two decades ago an essay was published in the "Gonosastho" a monthly Bangla publication from the Gonosastho TYust titled: "Is Homeopathy a science?” The writer in his research work was in doubt and expressed his opinion giving many examples. As it was the cover feature of that issue, it attracted people's attention at that time. But at present we see a Homeopathy department in the Gonosastho Hospital. Would the authority of the hospital admit now that Homeopathy is a science?
Some people recover from their
illness after taking a few drops of Homeo medicine but most of the people do not get any benefit taking it year after year. According to Homeopathy medical science doctors do not treat the diseases, they treat the patients. Well, it is true. But the doctors need to know the symptoms and even grandparents' history of the patients. Obviously it is hardly possible to get a true picture for fixing the medicine. So, a doctor often prescribes medicines on conjecture.
Dr. Hahnemann, the father of Homeopathy invented this branch of medicine over two centuries ago. But it is a matter of regret that he advised his disciples not to waste their time to find out the reasons behind diseases. Many symptoms are very similar and so the doctors often hesitate before the patients.
Homeopathy cannot push back Allopathy from its position. The* latter conducts research on a regular basis but the research work on Homeopathy is not many. The poor mainly go to a Homeopath doctor but when they manage some money, they often return to an Allopath as they have more faith on this branch of medical science. In surgery and many fields a Homeopath is really helpless. Our lifestyle and food habits are changing day by day. If you use toothpaste, the Homeo medicines will not work on you. Is it possible to avoid such things these days?
Some Homeo doctors claim that they even treat cancer patients. They give advertisements regularly in newspapers. If they can recover a cancer patient, then why are the patients as well as their relatives going abroad and spending huge amount of money? Harun-or-Rashid Sobhanbag, Dhaka