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| Wednesday, 11 August 2004 |
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Letters | |
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
We are indeed glad to note that 17,000 graduates are to be appointed with effect from August 10. The present Government deserves our commendations and congratulations on its magnanimous step taken to appoint graduates on a large scale. This is rather a bold step to provide relief to the unemployed graduates themselves and their families too. 17,000 graduates to be appointed en bloc is no small number. What one should wonder and admire is that such a mass scale appointment has never been made before by any other Government. This Government has set an example - a precedent. Of course, this was one of the election pledges and this has been rightly and faithfully fulfilled, and thus the Government deserves our praise for having fulfilled its election promise within a short period of time, and that too on the allocation from the former Government's budget. Confidence reposed by the people on the Government is further strengthened by this act, and the people began to feel that they had chosen the right government, and the fate and future of the country is placed in the 'right' hands. They say and expect that the PA Government would do further wonders like solving the economic problem and the ethnic conflict too. S. SABA SUBRAMANIAM, Recent news reports reveal that the Inspector General of Police is paying special attention to curb road accidents and consequent disaster. This is commendable. That part of Fifth Lane in Colombo 3 which joins Thurstan Road and Duplication Road is narrow and windy. It is used in particular by many children attending four schools and until late at night, by office and factory staff. This narrow byroad has become a racing track for some drivers of vans and motor cars as well as motor cyclists several having modified exhausts fitted to their vehicles. This speeding is a constant threat to other users of the road and property apart from being a nerve chilling source of annoyance and noise pollution to residents in particular. The law breaking drivers and riders, obviously of warped mentality, with absolute disregard for others must be brought to book before a catastrophe occurs. Residents wrote to the Mayor of Colombo on 24.01.04 to have two speed breakers constructed at strategic points on this byroad to reduce the nuisance. This letter was copied to the DIG Traffic. In response to the request, the Mayor's office intimated on 15.02.04 that the matter had been referred to the Director Traffic but the request remains unattended. A. R., Bacterium to uncoil Dengue menace Government's decision to use Bacillus thuringiensis popularly known as Bt to control dengue menace must be commended. It is a decision long overdue. B.thuringiensis is an insecticidal bacterium, marketed worldwide for control of many important plant pests mainly caterpillars of butterflies and moths. It has also been used to control mosquito larvae in many countries. Though we in Sri Lanka have been so lethargic to go for Bt, Bt products represent about 1 percent of the total agrochemical market (fungicides, herbicides and insecticides) across the world. I know of several Sri Lankan scientists who worked on Bt technology in Israel in 1980s. It is surprising none of these scientists or for that matter any of professional scientific bodies such as SLAAS, SLMA, NASSL, Institute of Biology has brought the possible use of Bt technology for control of Dengu, to the notice of government even after it has reached such epidemic levels as at present. Cuba, a country once seriously affected by dengue menace has now been declared a Dengue-free country mainly through the use of Bt technology. Bt technology is used in many countries such as Korea, Malaysia, Australia and several African countries. Bt was first discovered in 1911 as a pathogen of flour moths from the province of Thuingia, Germany. It was first used as a commercial insecticide in France in 1938 and then in the USA in the 1950s. This bacterium destroys mosquito larvae through a toxin produced once it is inside the gut of the larvae. The toxin produced by the strain of Bt, var. israelensis is reported to be quite effective against Aedes aegipti, which actually is the Dengue virus carrying mosquito. This bacterium is marketed under various trade names such as Skeetal, Vectobac and mosquito attack. It is applied to water bodies or places where mosquitoes are suspected to thrive. It is entirely safe to humans, higher animals and some insects as their stomachs have a low or acidic pH. Mosquito larvae has an alkaline pH of about 9.5 which is favourable for the production of the toxin. That is how Bt becomes lethal to mosquito larvae. It is known that two test trials on the use of Bt technology for the control of Dengue mosquito some years ago in Colombo and Kurunegala has been successful. For some mysterious reason the results of these trials have been shelved somewhere. One of the drawbacks of Bt technology is that Bt itself is quite expensive. Once applied its effective life time in the field is about 30-40 days. But some people with vested interests have spread the word that this bacterium is effective only for a few days in the field conditions to discourage authorities by giving them the impression that it is very costly and not practicable. It is true that it may require a several rounds of application of Bt for nearly complete eradication on mosquito larvae, which may take several years. But it is worth than spending millions of rupees for import of mosquito coils and also for health care of patients of mosquito related diseases such as Dengue, malaria and filaria. Naturally there will be resistance of various forms by mosquito coil industry against any attempt to destroy mosquito populations, as the very survival of these multimillion companies depend on mosquitoes. Government must be bold enough to go for the best technology available to control this ever increasing menace of Dengue in the interest of the nation, not of a few coil manufacturers. Producing our own Bt is one of the ways to keep the costs down. The nation would be grateful to UPFA Government if this bold approach is successful in eradicating this Dengue menace in Sri Lanka. Let us hope that present attempts go for Bt technology is not buried under pressure from interested parties. SINGHE JAYAWARDANE, The burden of injustice and unfairness perpetrated on upright Public servants can be verily exposed if a frank probe is made into coveted files maintained at the Public Adm. Ministry, albeit the contending political authorities on both sides of the divide professing to work for everything virtuous and righteous. Public servants in their own interest would wish to be made aware of the utter indignation of a victim subjected to such raw naked injustice in the manner he was treated in his attempt to gain a merit promotion to SLAS 11/11. Marks given at these interviews are never disclosed to applicants but in one instance the entire marks list was published in the Hansard. In that the victim in question, had obtained 71 marks out of 100. 22 applicants with marks range of 73 - 79 were promoted that year. Our victim patiently waited hopefully bidding his chance at the following year, but to his utter dismay, no less than 12 others who had scored less marks than him in the previous year, one even as less as 30 marks had been promoted over his head, mind you, despited his earning two more commendations given by his Secretary and further more his acting in a SLAS 11/1 Asst. Secy's post during the year under review which were the main criteria for merit promotions. As the resulting insult and degradation were beyond stomaching and vicious, the victim prematurely retired in repugnance. As the Minister Dodangoda is reputed for his sense of fairmindedness, ever committed to dispensing justice, the purpose of this letter by way of an open appeal to his goodsense is to call for victim's P.F.G. 454/52 (G) in the Combined Service Div. and cause to review this case based on salient data, devoid of extraneous prejudices and grant him redress which we sincerely stress the victim justifiably and abundantly deserves. S. GEETHARATNE, |
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