Across decades: Circuit and Munnabhai (below) drive down the path shown by Gandhiji (above)

lThe report “Ferry to township by April”, September 19, confirms my belief that commonsense is the least common of all senses. Our clever ministers and cleverer bureaucrats have allotted at least Rs 65 crore of taxpayers’ money for desilting an 8.5-km canal to start launch services from New Town to Lockgate at Rs 5 per trip, from 7 am to 5 pm. It was reported earlier that two steamers with 40 seats will ply on the route. Assuming eight up and down trips are made per day at 75 per cent occupancy, each steamer will earn Rs 4,800 daily. Thus, the ticket revenue will cover the initial investment in 371 years, without taking into account other expenditure, corruption and mismanagement.

I wonder what the people will do after reaching Lockgate. Will they dive into the Hooghly and swim to their destinations? If they want to go to office, they must walk to the distant bus stand. Will they reach by 9.30 am, the check-in time for all productive people i.e. non-government employees? The last return trip of the launch at 5 pm might force babus to leave work before duty hours are over.

This is not the only instance. On the way to Ultadanga from the airport, one notices three sturdy footbridges, one of them spanning the canal. At night, these structures are brilliantly lit up. For whose benefit are these? Definitely not for the citizens, who merrily jaywalk across the carriageway, sometimes with the help of policemen, who stop the traffic to let them pass.

L.N. Roychoudhury,
Lake Town.

Apropos the report “Groove to Gandhi, get it?”, September 22, it is heartening that Lage Raho Munnabhai has generated an enormous interest in Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Bollywood has not come up with as good a movie in a long time. Through a wonderful script and captivating visuals, the movie playfully conveys the teachings of the Father of the Nation. The children, who hardly knew about Gandhi, have now started to ask questions about the great man and his work.

Sunil Banerjee,

VIP Road

Apropos the report “Panel to prune heritage list”, September 27, if more and more buildings are given heritage status, the word ‘heritage’ will cease to carry weight. The declaration of a building or structure as heritage is meaningless if it is not properly managed and taken care of. It will be easier to maintain heritage structures if they are limited in number. Politics should not, however, play a part in selection of heritage buildings.

Dinabandhu Mukherjee,
Behala

It is really sad that a man who has been hoisting the flag atop Writers’ Buildings every day for the past 28 years and bringing it down at dusk was denied an increment to his meagre flag allowance of Rs 50 (Flag-hoister denied raise, September 25). The babus who denied the flag-hoister a raise because his allowance was increased in 2004, should not overlook the risk that he has to undertake and the fact that his allowance was not increased for 22 years before 2004. Let us not denigrate the task of unfurling the national flag.

Ranesh Chandra Dey,
Parnashree

The Public Works Department recently granted increments to Group-D employees. Then why is flag-hoister Dayanidhi Das denied a reasonable remuneration? The amount being paid to him is ridiculous.

Sukumar Ghosh,
Mukundapur

Apropos the reports “Rain ruins Puja run-up”, September 22, and “Lash of rain, sea of woe”, September 23, a few hours of downpour brought life to a standstill on and around AJC Bose Road, a vital commercial hub. Such incidents underscore the infrastructural deficiencies of the city. The chief minister needs to start at the basics to project Calcutta as a showpiece. What good is a Sector V if all the roads around it are flooded?

G. Raghuram,
GS Bose Road

Subham Singh was only four, but he had a tutor for Hindi, English and math (Tutor with a twist, September 21)! Couldn’t his family members teach him basic concepts? He was too young to be doing homework in any language. At four, children do not develop sufficient eye-hand and small-muscle control to write sentences. Parents are the first and best teachers of children, yet pre-schools undermine their confidence to such an extent that they feel they have to employ tutors.

Mary Ann Dasgupta,
Central Park

Apropos the report “Triple property tax burden on buyers”, September 26, the proposed hike in levy is nothing but extortion. The civic body’s argument in this regard is absurd. Someone might spend lakhs to buy a flat, but why should he pay a huge sum to the civic body as tax? And to think that the Left Front found a Rs-2 hike in diesel price unacceptable!

Shiv Shanker Almal,
Lower Rawdon Street

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