Drive against plastic bags gains momentum

Sir,
It is heartening to note that the citizens have finally realized the need to stop using plastic bags and have voluntarily switched over to paper or jute bags. Some of the schools have also taken up this cause and the students can be seen marching in a rally holding banners, placards urging the citizens to become environmental friendly.
It is sad that while in western countries people have switched over to jute bags or paper bags, in India, people have changed over from the traditional jute or cloth bags to such trendy plastic bags. To carry bags from home is considered old fashioned.
It is already late and quite a lot of damage has been done to the nature. Now it is time to put the acts together to prevent further onslaught on nature. The bans, rules and regulations can bear results only if they are supported by the citizens. It is time to say no to the plastic bags and patronize the cloth or the jute bags, baskets or the paper bags.
Manmeet Singh,
Ludhiana

Road safety- A challenge for all

Sir,
The recent hike in the prices of essential commodities like fruits, vegetables, edible oil has depressed the sentiments of the masses. These hikes along with many other hikes in taxes, petrol/diesel have literally snatched away the smiles from the faces of the common man. It is sad that even welfare sectors which were considered noble and essential like education and medical facilities have also become far too expensive, crippling even the average middle class families.
Today, to provide even basic education to their wards has become a herculean task for an average man. Similarly, over the past few years, the prices of medicine have steadily gone up. Even for the treatment of a common ailment quite amount is spent on medicines while the treatment of deadly disease will soon become the privilege of very few.
If prices of essential commodities continue to rise unchecked it will not be long before a large section of the society will find their place below the poverty line graph.
Amita Sinha,
Gurgaon

The power of brands

Sir,
Recently when I purchased a pain balm, there was a coupon telling a scratch the coupon and SMS the code to number and the winner will get a chance to meet the film star Salman Khan whose recently released movie Sultan was about to release. This is a way the advertisers are trying to encourage people to buy the product. We are living in an age where the brands of products are becoming more and more popular. The advertisers also take the help of film stars and other popular people to promote the sale of their products. To see the power of products, one visit to the market we will see the advertisements posters and hoardings that promote brands of different products and their companies, which encourage the people to buy their products. However, it is the duty of the citizens not to be fooled by such tactics and buy the products as per their understanding.

Cajetan Peter D’Souza
Ghatkopar, Mumbai