Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Shocking

It was shocking to note the Centre for Science and Environment's finding that the levels of pesticide in soft drinks sold in India are higher than the BIS norms. What is more shocking is Heptachlor, which has been banned in India, was found in 71 per cent of the samples tested. The situation is alarming given that a majority of the population, particularly youngsters, consumes a good amount of soft drinks every day.

Muralidharan Raju Iyer,
Chennai

The callousness of the cola companies is disturbing. It is time to say goodbye to them and promote indigenous drinks. Life is precious in all parts of the world. The elite companies need to realise that.

Leela Kallaraackal,
Chennai

The CSE's findings speak poorly of our policy makers who have taken so long to enforce the safety standards. The best way to show the door to multinationals that think nothing of playing with the lives of people is to boycott bottled soft drinks.

J.V.V. Murthy,
Coimbatore

Those who consume soft drinks get addicted to them because of the ingredients, which include dangerous substances such as pesticides. That prominent sportspersons and film actors endorse the colas for hefty sums is unfortunate. Besides direct sales, cola companies offer the drinks to leading multinational companies selling fast food, which in turn offer them as part of their package. Why is the Government fighting shy of taking immediate action against the soft drink giants?

T.N. Sivaraman,
Chennai

The findings are a matter of great concern to the people, particularly children, who are very fond of soft drinks. But one wonders why the level of pesticides is so high. The major constituent of any drink is water, and hence it becomes necessary to compare the level of pesticides in soft drinks with that of drinking water in the same region.

K.L. Khanduja,
Chandigarh

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