Visakhapatnam tragedy
The horrible gas leak accident reported from a polymer plant in Visakhapatnam reminds one of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. What is worrying is that this accident has taken place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The styrene gas leaked from the factory would have caused a lot of damage to people’s lungs and weakened their respiratory system, which will make them more susceptible to viruses like SARS-CoV-2. Once this incident is investigated, we need to fix accountability. We cannot let those responsible for the tragedy get away yet again.
Shayan Das,
Gobardanga
Privacy concerns
The Aarogya Setu team’s response to the hacker’s claims don’t seem trustworthy (“Hacker sees security flaws in Aarogya Setu,” May 7). India desperately needs a data protection and privacy law. There are fears that the government may use this app for surveillance, just as China is doing. China scores its citizens based on their behaviour and uses those scores to decide who can get access to loans, air travel, etc. India, a democracy, cannot be allowed to take a step in that direction.
Vidhya B. Ragunath,
Thanjavur
Taboo topics
India’s school system has a serious sex education problem. When I was in school, my teachers skipped the chapters on human reproduction; there was no space for a healthy discussion on gender and sexuality (“Police arrest ‘Bois Locker Room’ group admin,” May 7). In Indian homes, there is always an awkward silence when something explicitly sexual is played on TV. With such stigmatisation, desire and sexuality have become taboo topics. With no mature guidance on these delicate subjects, students turn to pornography to learn about them. Watching porn they learn about violence, as porn films often show women being degraded and humiliated. Boys think this is what desire is. All this leads to such locker room chats. Further, many of our films objectify women — while a film like Grand Masti becomes a box office success, a film like Lipstick Under My Burkha gets heavily censored. We can be outraged about this incident but it’ll soon be forgotten until another emerges in a few months. The problem in our education system, and in society, runs deep.
Garima Plawat,
New Delhi
Migrant workers
It is shocking that migrant workers, who are the pillars of our economy, are being treated in this manner (“Back in U.P., migrants stare at an uncertain future,” May 7). COVID-19 was earlier believed to have hit the elites, but it has left the deepest bruises on the underprivileged. What is more shocking is that these impoverished people were even asked to pay for their travel back home after losing their jobs and accommodation! Now it looks like their native States, too, cannot assure them any security. Policymakers should urgently work to provide these workers immediate relief. They must think of ways to create employment. Otherwise, the damage will be irreparable.
Deepika Jain,
Delhi
The Karnataka government’s flip-flops on the migrant workers issue show how callous governments can be (“Migrant labourers fume as Karnataka cancels trains”, May 7). It not only caused anger and frustration among workers who have already been treated badly, but also unrest in some areas. Why can’t major decisions be taken with planning and foresight?
V. Padmanabhan,
Bengaluru
Opening TASMAC shops
It is not surprising that hundreds thronged TASMAC shops in Tamil Nadu without maintaining physical distancing. There is now fear that many asymptomatic people may have spread the virus. How far could authorities have implemented the ‘one bottle per person’ order of the High Court?
When policemen found it a Herculean task to restrict the movement of people during the ‘lockdown within lockdown’ period, how could they possibly have controlled crowds in front of TASMAC shops? The crowds now endanger the health of the entire community. Who will be held responsible if the numbers of the infected swells soon?
Tharcius S. Fernando,
Chennai
