Kerala

Persistence pays

Several rules which had invited the wrath of denizens in the past, are being observed in the true spirit of the law now.

In fact, a “civil obedience” of sorts is taking shape without much ado in a city which had witnessed a high degree of defiance in the past.

The helmet was considered a nuisance and an object of discomfort. Its use was detested by the majority of bike riders.

The law dealt a harsh blow on them and there were protests galore.

The argument was that the helmet restricted the movement of the head and became a liability to the person on the move.

But wisdom has prevailed on the riders though it has come after a lot of persuasion and penal action initiated by the police. Now, a motorcyclist sans helmet is a rare sight on the city roads.

Plastic bags had become a menace in the city as they were thrown around recklessly.

They blocked drainage pipes and helped mosquitoes to multiply in the pools of water that formed in the abandoned bags thrown into open compounds. Wielding the stick by the civic authorities, coupled with a motivated campaign did contribute to a changeover.

Several supermarkets like Mithra have introduced eco-friendly bags.

Plastic bags may not vanish soon as there is an industry behind it and people still need them for various purposes. In fact, some of the so-called eco-friendly bags used by some outlets are said to contain more plastic content than natural fibre. Nevertheless, a message has apparently been received well by the targeted strata of society and the results are certainly encouraging.

R. Ramabhadran Pillai

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu