readers' mail

With use of ethanol farmers’ problems of getting money from sugar mills can be solved.— File Photo

Use ethanol as alternative for petrol

Brazil is using ethanol in place of petrol for vehicles. Ethanol is the by-product of sugar. The production cost of ethanol is Rs.35 per litre, while the cost of petrol is about Rs.70 per litre. After changing the petrol engine setting, ethanol can be used to run the vehicle. There is a buffer stock of sugar bags at mills. Marketing of ethanol is easy. The farmers’ problems of getting money from sugar mills can also be solved. We get to save valuable foreign exchange. The technology can be obtained from Brazil.

D. Prithvi Raj

Villupuram

Expedite process of building flyovers

This is with reference to the news item, ‘Chennai-Kanyakumari ECR to be converted into four-lane road’ (The Hindu, May 27). While announcing the joyous news in Puducherry, Pon. Radhakrishnan, Union Minister of State for Surface Transport, Highways and Shipping, has added that his department has also planned to construct two flyovers on the 100 Feet Road in the city.

It is presumed that these two flyovers would come up at the heavily congested road junctions near Rajiv Gandhi statue and the Indira Gandhi statue. The serpentine queue of stationary vehicles at these signals causes a big waste of time and fuel. Hence, the Puducherry government should grab the opportunity to expedite these projects. 

B. Balasubramanian

Avvai Nagar, Lawspet

Wake up to wastage

of water

A walk along the residential areas of Puducherry in the morning gives one a heart-wrenching sight of water, the precious spring of life, being wasted in abundance. While watering plants with hoses, much water is wasted, and this can be seen on the road. There is utter disregard for this life-sustaining liquid, which is depleting rapidly, as its value is not understood as it comes almost free. Most of the domestic meters are damaged, and the tariff is negligible. The authorities should wake up, check the meters, and look at an increased water tariff. It will bring in revenue which can be used creatively. It is only when the pinch is felt by the customer that the value of water will be understood. 

T.V. Sreekumar

Kamaraj Nagar

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