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Controlled fireworks.?

All-party meeting recommendation for controlled use of fireworks at the Thrissur Pooram scheduled on April 18 is a farce as an immediate control is not at all possible. Pooram preparation often starts immediately after the halt of previous Pooram. The dynamites and other high decibel fireworks are prepared and kept safe months back and hence an immediate reduction in noise level of fireworks is not possible. In that case how can the Pooram organisers reduce the sound of crackers?

Do they mean that they attach immediately silencers to all the dynamites made for Pooram show?

K A Solaman

Kill pill

A recent directive from the Union health ministry has sought a ban over 300 cocktails of two or more drugs, which, medical experts allege, have no therapeutic value (“Drug-cocktail ban opens can of worms”, March 15). These drugs are called fixed-dose combinations and include popular cough syrups such as Corex, Phensedyl and so on. Health experts are of the opinion that “irrational drug cocktails” such as these provide no medical help to the patients. But, in some cases, they can lead to drug resistance and inhibit the building up of immunity to infections.

The Union health ministry should be congratulated on this bold decision. While it is true that the drug industry might face an estimated loss of more than Rs 2,000 crore, such a predicament is unavoidable. Drug manufacturers, in connivance with unscrupulous medical practitioners, make huge profits through the sale of such harmful medicines. The pharmaceutical companies should make medicines to save people instead of causing them harm.

K.A. Solaman, Alappuzha, Kerala

The Telegraph, Calcutta, Mar 24, 2016

Running away

 

The Bangalore bench of the debt recovery tribunal temporarily restrained the British multinational alcoholic beverages company, Diageo Plc, from paying $75 million to Vijay Mallya ("Mallya suffers a setback", March 8). It has now been reported that Diageo has already paid a part of this sum. Mallya, who owes huge debts to various Indian banks, should have been barred from leaving the country. What is unclear is why the banks failed to take the necessary steps at the appropriate time to ensure that he was held accountable for his actions. If proper disciplinary steps had been taken against Mallya, he would have been arrested before he left India. This would have served as a warning to individuals who, like Mallya, have taken huge loans from banks and are intentionally failing to repay them.

K.A. Solaman, Alappuzha, Kerala

The Telegraph, Calcutta March 22, 2016

Paravur temple fire

The Kollam  temple fire disaster is one of the worst man made disasters in Kerala.  It  has been reported that about 106 persons were killed and over 350 injured in the  fire that broke out at the Paravur Puttingal Devi temple near Kollam. The people responsible for the tragedy are  Devaswom authority and the local government administration.

Pyrotechnics in temples and churches are banned by several court orders  but are blatantly violated. Compensation by central and state governments are  good gestures nevertheless  it is  not a remedy for replication of the disaster. So manufacture of fire woks should be immediately restricted and no permit should be given for pyrotechnics  on religious or other traditions.

-K A Solaman

Letter written or not?

With the Assembly Election in  the offing ,  Kerala News Channels have nothing to deliberate seriously on issues related to common man. That is why they concentrate on silly matters like T N Prathapan's letter to Congress High Command and his candidature. Prathapan is,    of course, a better politician compared to his contemporaries and the letter row will not hamper his image  as a good leader.  The  youth congress leader Dean Kuriakose coming against Prathapan based on rumour is a matter of grave indiscipline.
-K A Solaman

Gouri Amma humiliated?

It may be true that the JSS leader and veteran woman campaigner, who had spent major part of her life time for the growth of Communist party in Kerala, has been humiliated by Marxist party by denying seats to her party in the next Assembly poll. However, it is a fact that except she there is none in her party competent enough to make an equitable fight with opponents in the rival group. Gouri Amma's dotage is the prime reason for the pathetic cast of her party in the present scenario.

K A Solaman

OC canteen?

Amma Unavagam or Amma Canteen  is a food subsidization program run by the Government of Tamil Nadu. "Amma" means mother but clearly in TN it refers to Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who introduced this restaurant concept aimed at helping the very poor sections of the society.
Under the scheme, municipal corporations of the state run canteens serving subsidized food at low price and many poor people consider this as a helping hand.

As there is no dearth for the poor and the downtrodden in Kerala why can't the Oommen Chandy government copy down this novel idea. As there  is no patent  violation in installing this scheme  these canteens can be aptly called as OC canteen. OC means, as all of us know, Oommen Chandy. And if anybody thinks that it would turn out as a violation of code of conduct then it can be put as a promise in the election manifesto.

K A Solaman 

Ban on combination drugs

The Health Ministry is of the view that irrational fixed-dose combinations (FDC) are causing anti-microbial resistance, and, in some cases, toxicity that can lead to organ failure even as drug manufacturers in connivance with unscrupulous medical practitioners are making huge profits (“Weekend – Being’ page – “India coughs up a cold call: no more sweet nothings”, March 20). It may be true that the drug industry could face a revenue loss of several crores for the 300-odd FDCs already banned but a person’s well-being is more important.

K.A. Solaman, Alappuzha, Kerala

The Hindu dated 21 mar 2016

Do- or-die for Congress

· 

KPCC Prsident V M Sudheeran's action to correct the Congress ministers of Kerala is of no use.

In the Assembly elections in Kerala, the Congress has less at stake than the Marxist party. That is why Congress leader and former defence minister A K Antony said the two fronts are equally poised in the next election. The grand old party's leader could say likewise only though he smells an immediate setback for his party in Kerala. Understanding Antony's mind Sudheeran asks ministers to correct their mistakes. However, CM and his colleagues need to place all blame on the head of Sudheeran.

If the Congress retains power in Kerala, it will be a big boost for the party and a clean certificate for the wrong doing of the ministry. I do not think that the sensible people of Kerala will allow it despite the hard work of KPCC President.

K A Solaman

Killer medicines

It is a stunning news that after cough syrups, 500 more drugs, including popular antibiotics and anti-diabetic drugs, may soon face a ban for being  unsafe and ineffaceous. The health ministry, which banned 344 fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) including popular cough syrups like Phensedyl, Corex and Benadryl last week, is evaluating a list of over 6,000 products. The health ministry is of the view that irrational FDCs are causing anti-microbial resistance and in some cases the toxicity is so high that it can even lead to failure of organs. The Health Ministry should be congratulated for  this bold decision.

It may be true that the drug industry may meet  revenue loss of several crore for 344 FDCs that are already banned and they may have to bear more heavy financial loss if more drugs are banned. Some industry sources say the financial impact can be to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore. Nevertheless this is unavoidable as drug makers in connivance with unscrupulous medical practitioners are making huge profit with killer medicines.

The  local pharmaceutical retail market  Rs 1 lakh crore annually should be for saving life and not for killing people. The government should give wide publicity among people about killer medicines.

-K A Solaman

Ban dynamite

An  elderly woman, may be of her dotage ailment, was seen frightened and cried  because of an expected dynamite explosion from a nearby temple. The temple devotees were performing firework display at that time. Along with low decibel firecrackers it has become a habit to  explode high decibel dynamites frightening people of all ages. The use of crackers has been banned by several judicial forums but still its use continues unabated. This is really a cruelty to aged people, animals and birds . Dynamite explosion also causes damages to many buildings.

It is not only in temples but in churches and political party displays dynamites are frequently used. As there is no way to test the loudness of dynamite explosion no one complains to the authority with a valid proof.  Despite court verdict the police often ignore violation of the law as complainants are rare in such cases. So what should be immediately done is: cancel licence of all dynamite makers and alert the police  to check the law violation,

-K A Solaman

Methran Kayal

Methran Kayal issue is a shot in the arm for Ommen Chandy Government. The Kerala HC has directed the state government to maintain stays quo against government order granting sanction to reclaim the Methran Kayal field in Kumarakom. When the Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash out rightly denies his involvement in the issue it fingers  not only to his inefficacy as a minister but also to the ploy made by some other minister in the Cabinet. On reading the news pouring in this direction one could easily infer the alleged involvement of Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala in the issue. But he willfully absconds from the questions aired by media men.

The last minute attempts made by UDF ministers to cash out maximum have  reduced to null their prospects in the next election. Despite request to voters of the state the UDF is unlikely to get another chance.

K A Solaman

On women empowerment

 
It is quite easy to comment on women empowerment, but when it comes to practice   no political party gives importance to strengthen women force.Thirty three percent women reservation should be implemented in Assembly and Parliament elections too. The political parties like Muslim League and Mulayam Singh's party should be banned if they do not allow women representation.

Caustically,  no  agency other than Honda Active scooter company has done any thing in favor for the empowerment of women in the immediate past.

-K A Solaman 

Rethink of EPF?

Revenue mobilisation by taxing an instrument of investment such as EPF is undemocratic. To say that “people will waste their savings on retirement and not invest in pension products” is strange. Instead, taxes should be imposed on new instruments of income generation.

K.A. Solaman,

Alappuzha, Kerala

The Hindu dated March 7, 2016

Alarming NPA

If not a retirement speech what CBI director Anil Sinha said on SEBI and Bank top officials is a welcome one.  There is absolutely lack of accountability in banks and SEBI as they are least bothered to avoid the consequences of fraudulent accounts that resulted in huge NPA in banks.
Accumulating  bad loans in commercial banks is the result of willful attempt by  bank higher ups, corporate heads and  politicians. How could liquor baron Vijay Mallya lead a lavish life when he remains as a defaulter of several crores to many banks?

Average investors and retirees who put their money in bank stocks are now sitting  fingers crossed. Are these banks going to melt in thin air, is a reasonable question.

If anyone says recovery of bad loans is not visible in near future then it is certain that he is also involved in the robbery. Recovery from the private assets of bank officials and  defaulters of loans should soon be done to save banks. Despite CBI' s directives the banks not filing complaints against defaulters is a pointer in this regard. The alarming increase of bad loans and subsequent NPA should be immediately checked.

-K  A Solaman

Lucky man

Chief Minister Ommen Chandy is out and out a lucky man. He escaped unhurt after his car went off the road and fell into drain at Kanakkary near Vaikom. Likewise he escaped from all abuses hurled upon him by his detractors. The Solar scam,  Vizhinjam and what else are turned into feathers on his  cap. 
Would he snatch out one more term, the innocent people of Kerala  wonder?
-K A Solaman

Not a Kangaaroo court

Additional Chief Secretary K M Abraham's action to put an end to the unsolicited appointment by certain ministers at the fag end of their tenure is a welcome  move. By doing so he has proved that the Government of Kerala is not a Kangaroo court.
The out of way appointment is not a new thing. There was the story of  minister P K Shreemathi appointing her kin to gazetted post after taking her as cook in her personal staff. 
The off door appointment is undoubtedly an action against constitution. And it is a calculated way of snatching the rights of eligible applicants by the influential ones. And in any case the temporary staff  should not  be put in permanent posts. Show them  the way out and ask  to get appointed through Kerala Public Service Commission.

-K A Solaman

Advantage Congress

The Congress High Command has visibly admitted that the Kerala Chief Minister Ommen Chandy is corrupt. That is why they ask the trio namely Chandy, Sudheeran and Chennithala together to lead the Congress in the election. And Chennithala saying that the Congress never project a CM candidate before election is aimed at becoming the next CM. However his detractors say that Chennithala is not able to sail over smoothly from Harippad.

What is more interesting in the UDF is the mutual infight among its leaders. Each leader has announced their constituency without consulting with UDF leaders. And the only hope among Congress leaders is the ugly gestures of some Marxist leaders. For instance, the Marxist leader MM Mani hurling all the abuses on a hapless woman principal of Cheruthony Polytechnic is an added advantage for UDF.

K A Solaman

Recovery of bad loans

Accumulating  bad loans in commercial banks in India cannot be considered as an eventual process. It is the result of willful attempt by  bank higher ups and politicians. How could liquor baron Vijay Mallya lead a lavish life when he remains as a defaulter of several crores to many banks? Why is he not arrested and put in jail after confiscating his  assets?

So, in this regard the Supreme Court directive to the Reserve Bank of India to provide the list of companies that are defaulters of bank loans, is in the right direction. The banks, for instance, the SBI or PNB are not taking any stringent action to recover the loan amount from defaulters. Their strongest action is seemingly, declare a defaulter as a ' willful defaulter'. This is some thing akin to ' growth of banyan tree in the back of shameless defaulter'.

Average investors and retirees who put their money in bank stocks are now sitting their fingers crossed. Are these banks going to melt in thin air?

If anyone says recovery of bad loans is not visible in near future then it is certain that he is also involved in the robbery. Recovery from the private assets of bank officials who issued loans and of defaulters should soon be done to save banks. The SC directive will also restrict future looting by banks by way of advancing large- scale loans to unscrupulous promoters.

-K A Solaman