The Hindu : Kerala News : Plastic ban: fear of harassment expressed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 04, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala

Plastic ban: fear of harassment expressed

The Government banned plastic bags below 30 microns from September 1 and made the manufacture, storing, possession, distribution of the bags penal.

It appears that the Government has derived powers under the Environmental Protection Rules which provides maximum punishment of Rs.1 lakh fine and imprisonment up to five years.

The Government also directed the local bodies to take action in this regard including cancellation of the shop licence. The authorities concerned are empowered to slap a nominal fine at the initial stage and Rs.5,000 on repeating the offence.

If the rule is flouted again, a fine of Rs.25,000 and a sentence of six months will be awarded. It appears that the vendor, vendee and the user are clueless as to whether they are using plastic materials either below or above 30 microns and there is no mechanism to gauge the same.

The officials entrusted with the task may also be in the same position. What is going to happen is that innocent persons will be caught and penalised. The Government has done no homework before implementing this reform. It will tantamount to harassment just like in the case of helmet and seatbelt.

It will be apt to remember the fate of the ban on sun-control films used in cars. The reform is without any legislative support and on that count itself it may face hurdles if moved before a court.

V.P. Ramesan,

Thripunithara

Extend train service

The train service between Kannur and Yeshwanthpur runs only thrice a week. The plea to make it a daily service has been turned down on the grounds of minimum utilisation.

If the service is extended to Hyderabad/ Secunderabad, there is no direct service from north Kerala to the twin cities, there will be cent per cent utilisation of the train.

The train should be allowed stops at Heelalige (near Electronics City) and Bansawaadi (where it is usually detained for minutes together for crossing purposes) or Hebbal, as the train takes nearly two hours to cover about 45 km, from the last stop Hosur, to reach the destination.

Since Yeshwanthpur is not well connected to other parts of the city by direct bus services, passengers least prefer to get down there despite being in centre of the metro.

The late arrival timing in the morning is also a deterrent which can be rectified by slight modification in the crossing pattern with other trains. Hope the authorities will look into the matter.

B.M. Joseph

Kizhakkambalam

‘Tricks’ played by bus operators

The decision of the police to assign route numbers to private buses in the wake of ‘night shopping’ in the city is laudable. Nevertheless, the traffic police should turn their attention to the ‘tricks’ played by bus operators on passengers with a view to netting more collection. The destination boards on certain buses prominently display the termination point, excluding or ‘belittling’ certain places en route. For instance, a bus from Kochi bound for Aluva leaves out NAD or mentions it unnoticeably on the destination board. Unwary passengers are taken aback when the bus deviates at Kalamassery. As a result, altercations between the bus crew and the passengers are common.

Similarly, buses from Ernakulam to Perumbavoor ply through interior areas, virtually taking the Perumbavoor-bound passengers for a ride. In some cases, passengers stand to lose 15-20 minutes, apart from the misery on account of the circuitous journey along rugged roads.

The authorities have to make their presence felt through effective intervention. Bus operators should be asked to mention the ‘landmarks’ en route clearly.

N.K. Vijayan

Kizhakkambalam Readers may send their letters to the Hindu, NH Bypass, Vytilla P.O., Kochi -682019.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala

News Update

Stories in this Section