University and environment
With due respect I would like to refer your 18th, 20th and 22nd Mar'09 editions' feature news, where in it has been observed that our sense of environmental cautiousness is increasing, which is obviously a good sign . A good environment is of course an important ingredient of a healthy life. In this regard , I would like to share the following with you. There is a university at Dhanmondi. On its left side, stands a school. Hundreds of small children are coming every morning and breathing the black smoke of the university power generator, besides the tremendous sound pollution during their classes. Also in the apartment houses there are many small children, aged and sick persons living among others, who can not intake fresh southern air for the same problem.
Keeping enough space in the basement of the campus, the university has installed the generator outside the building, caring little about the neighbours' sufferings.
It is in fact a matter of civic sense to decide where to install a generator and how the black smoke should exhaust to let the neighbours live a problem free life. But, this type of sense seems to be absent in the minds of the social leaders who have taken charge to build the nation by giving educational degrees from their University !!!
In the above connection, I personally contacted the management of the university. They obviously showed interest to co-operate, but ended up with no meaningful solution.
When our educated society is lacking social manners, how can we expect the general people to be sensitive!!
To grow civic sense in a country, continuous campaign must be initiated from school/college and university, as I know from my Singaporean friends who have done so since their school life to make the present clean & nice Singapore.
Can we encourage our institutions to make such plans on a roster basis school by school, class by class to educate themselves first and at the same time, help waking up the general people's sense on : (1) Not to harm the neighbours. (2) Not to blow horn unnecessarily. (3) Not to change lanes frequently to overtake others. (4) Educate the rickshaw pullers on how to park the rickshaws on a line, instead of blocking the major part of a road. (5) How the street walkers should cross the road ...and many others...
In fact, I do this campaign all by myself whenever I am on roads on the way to my office and back home, especially point (2,3 & 4), and in most cases I get good response. But one man effort in such a massive area is not workable!
May I take the opportunity to request The Daily Star to organise such campaign programmes on a regular basis (at least for one full year without brake) by students/cadets/rover scouts to take us a few extra miles.
Besides the government's efforts, our people's personal efforts are essential and will be very effective.
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