Letters to the editor

Crime of cattle fattening

PHOTO: STAR

Harmful steroids and hormones are being used to fatten cattle to sell them during Eid-ul-Adha. A recent study shows that 63.7 % farmers use drugs to fatten cattle. Steroids cause accumulation of fluid in the cattle's body and make them look fatter, but this fluid attacks their immune system, making them vulnerable to deadly diseases. If we consume the meat of these diseased and artificially fattened cattle for long, we may suffer from kidney problem, liver failure, gastric and ulcer, diabetes, pancreas disease, etc., which may eventually cause death. The government must take measures immediately to stop this malpractice.
Hasna Begum
Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh

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The report, “Cow fattening out of control,” published in The Daily Star on 29th September, depicts the horrifying practice of the unscrupulous cattle traders. Steroid is being imported, sold and used for the purpose of cow fattening. Risks that it poses to human health apart, is it morally correct to afflict an animal with poison (steroids, hormones) for achieving our selfish ends? It is high time the authorities concerned came forward to stop this crime.
D. H. Choudhury
Uttara, Dhaka

Nepotism, malpractice ruining education  
I have completed my HSC examination and now fighting the battle of admission test to get myself admitted into a reputed educational institution. Admission tests are for evaluating students' merit. But I was shocked to see how some politically active students of a college picked selected candidates from each exam hall and arranged a separate room for them to take the exam during the admission test!
Exam questions have nowadays become a commodity on sale. Though authorities are claiming that fair admission tests are being held, it is difficult for us (honest students who want to get admitted by dint of their hard work) to trust them seeing the instance of partiality with our own eyes.
If this type of malpractice prevails in our education sector, then meritorious students will get frustrated. Eventually poor quality manpower will crowd the job market. As a result, the country's progress will be hindered. Government should take necessary steps to rid the education sector of such malpractice and corruption.
Maliha Jainab
On e-mail