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Letters to the Editor: 05 November, 2019

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letters to the editor, afternoon voice,E-cigarettes are harmful for health

There is a new trend hitting the market known as e-cigarettes (electronic cigarettes), or vaping. Many people believe that e-cigarettes (electronic cigarettes) are better than the traditional cigarettes. But research shows just how unhealthy and harmful e-cigarettes are for everyone. Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, including ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs.
The government of India has taken a very bold step in banning the manufacture, sale, import and export of e-cigarettes in the country. This decision taken by the government is to be lauded.  By why ban just e-cigarettes? What about the other tobacco products like the regular cigarettes, gutkha and beedis? These too should be banned.
Life is precious and the youth of our country should know that cigarette smoking is injuries to health which leads to cancer of the lungs and several other health related diseases.

Jubel D’Cruz

 

Delhi residents having tough time breathing

Cricketers practising with masks, flights redirected to some other airports, schools and colleges shut, politicians on a blame game spree, drivers and owners of cars and vehicles pressurised to follow “odd even ” restrictions – well the last few days witnessed a series of  action packed events in NCR Delhi which is suffocating with smog , the “villain” that has now made it a routine to visit the place during every November.

It’s like the people of Delhi and those visiting the state asking one another choking  and coughing -“kya chal raha hai”  and pat comes the reply  out  of  the damaged lungs of  Delhiites  “smog chal raha hai.” Well sadly this is not a joke but something that has painfully made Delhi as a highly polluted city  –  one of the worst in the world  and it’s really shocking that no serious measures were taken by the state or  the centre though it was  cent percent sure “smog”  would attack  Delhi this winter too.
Garbage burning, unchecked vehicular emissions, pyrotechnics and stubble burning are the main reasons for this condition but rather than long lectures and some actions and activities taken by those who should really care, nothing serious was done.
Measures on a war footing should be taken to find alternate ways for avoiding stubble burning, encourage the public to buy and use e-vehicles and this must be made mandatory. Global experts on pollution must be consulted on how to tackle this peril and above all the leaders must stop fighting with one another and stay united to fight smog. As the Supreme Court has put it – this can’t go on and the government at the centre and in Delhi cannot just pass the buck to each other, they should know that right to life is the most important  and therefore urgent measures must be taken. The neighbouring states also should take measures to mitigate the menace.

M Pradyu

 

Restaurants should abolish service charges

It refers to highly irresponsible Guidelines No. J-24-9-2014-CPU(pt.) dated 21.04.2017 issued by Department of Consumer Affairs (Government of India) wherein consumers going to hotels and restaurants for enjoying food are advised to approach Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum against malpractice of certain restaurants and hotels charging compulsory service-charge in their invoices instead of the Department imposing ban on such levying of service-charges or even providing column for tip. Guidelines doubt of some under-the-table deal with associations of hotels and restaurants, because everyone knows that consumers go to hotels and restaurants for enjoyment and relaxation rather than fighting for their rights through cumbersome court-procedures.

If eateries are really sincere for staff-welfare, they can increase their wages at their own. Also since there is no limit on served food-prices, they can increase prices rather than adopting back-door route to fool consumers through unfair service-charge. Law must be tightened for incorporating prison-provision for eatery-owners levying service-charge in bills. Rather paying and accepting tips otherwise should be made an offence since gifts and tips are polished form of bribes. Provision of writing tip-amount on credit-card pay-slips must be abolished.

Central government should go ahead with its proposal to reduce GST on services provided by restaurants including also by air-conditioned ones to 12-per cent slab by abolishing corruption-generating provision of Input-Tax-Credit (ITC) of raw material. Any objection by restaurant-owners against abolition of ITC must not be entertained.

Madhu Agrawal


(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

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