Letters to the EDITOR: The right steps to curb power waste

The right steps to curb power waste

The Hon’ble Chief Minister has taken the right step forward to stop providing free power to ministers, MLAs, the Chief Secretary, senior government officials, and even himself from July 1, 2024, which was in vogue for the last 75 years. We know the analogy that ‘a penny saved is a penny earned’. In the same analogy, we can say that ‘a unit of power saved is a unit of power produced’. It is a natural tendency of human beings to seem to waste resources when they are free. Misuse of ACs in MLA hostels and the office of VIPs have been brought to the public domain by various media in the past. In fact, a poor state like Assam can’t afford such a luxury.

Through this column, I would request the Hon’ble Chief Minister to take two more steps immediately, which are as follows: to stop the wastage of resources. (1) The state government is providing luxury cars to senior government officials to use for official purposes only. However, in many cases, the cars are seen to be misutilized by some disgruntled officials. Official cars are being used to ferry their children to schools, gyms, music schools, and wives to pearlure and market places as well. Officers should be instructed to maintain log books strictly for the vehicles allotted to them for scrutiny.

(2) More often than not, we observe that government departments that are involved in carrying out construction jobs have been maintaining a very low standard of quality, whether it is roads, bridges, buildings, etc. Consequently, frequent reworking or maintenance is required, which costs the exchequer. This is happening due to a lack of proper supervision by our engineers. Engineers should use three-fourths of their time on site and one-fourth of their time in the AC room only. All engineers should be held accountable for each and every job they handle.

Prafulla Dowarah,

Guwahati

Laughter-induced syncope

According to a news report, a 53-year-old man temporarily collapsed after being unable to control his laughter while watching a comedy show in Hyderabad a fortnight ago. His arms were twitching, and the doctor at a prominent hospital diagnosed his condition as "laughter-induced syncope." The man recovered and is doing well now. Syncope is nothing but unconsciousness or passing out when the heart does not pump enough oxygen to the brain. However, laughter-induced syncope is a very rare condition that leads to episodes of unconsciousness in a person. Due to augmented intrathoracic pressure, there is heightened parasympathetic activity, causing a decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, and perfusion to the brain, which is drastically lowered.  A person may experience lightheadedness, dizziness, arm twitching, and a brief loss of consciousness ranging from 3 seconds to 3 minutes. For prevention of this condition, it is advised not to abruptly change one's posture. Preferably, a person should not stand for a long time. It is always good to have a healthy habit of consuming copious amounts of fluid and a balanced salt intake. The above, coupled with a history of lengthy vasodilator intake, can trigger syncope during a heavy outburst of laughter. The key to managing the condition is to stabilise blood flow to the brain. Heading down or lying flat can help. Beta-blocker drugs are often advocated.

Dr. Ganapathi Bhat,

(gbhat13@gmail.com)

Eid al-Adha is celebrated worldwide

Eid al-Adha (also known as Bakra Eid or the Festival of Sacrifice), was celebrated with great joy and religious fervour all over the world on June 17.

In Mumbai alone, the city in which I live, over five lakh Muslims came out early in the morning dressed in their finery to offer their special Eid congregational prayers as thanksgiving at the 800-plus mosques across the city.

After the solemn prayers, they joyfully greeted each other with hugs of 'Eid Mubarak'.

After offering the Eid 'namaaz' (prayers), it was time for celebrations with family, friends, neighbours, and community members, savouring and serving each other the festival special dish of 'sheer-korma' (a sweet preparation of milk, vermicelli and dry fruits).

The community was not alone, as they were joined in large numbers by Hindus, Christians, Jains, and even Parsis to meet, greet, and celebrate with their Muslim brethren.

Jubel D'Cruz,

Mumbai

The only answer

Today, in Hindu-majority India, only Hindus are being oppressed. Anti-Hindu affairs like religious conversion of Hindus, desecration of places of worship, demolition of temples, and distortion of our glorious history became commonplace. Attacks on religious processions, creating riots during that time, are common. 'Mini Pakistans' have been created everywhere where Hindus cannot enter now in India. Christians have planned a nationwide plan for the conversion of Hindus. Since the independence of the country, the population of Muslims has increased more than 8 times, while the population of Christians has increased more than 5 times.

The atrocities committed against Hindus by other religions are endless. These and other incidents have raised some questions: Are Hindus safe? Hindu Rashtra is the answer to all the problems the country is facing. The annual 'All India Hindu Rashtra Conventions' held in Goa have played an important role in imbuing the concept of Hindu Rashtra in the minds of people.

Aparna Jagtap

(aparnatjagtap1234@gmail.com)