Curb the red spread to save Howrah Bridge

Any evidence of red stains in her domain enrages the West Bengal chief minister, so the state government will presumably not tarry when it comes to dealing with its insidious attack on the Howrah Bridge.

There is now conclusive evidence that a gradual red build-up at the base of the historic bridge for the past few decades has been corroding crucial points of the steel superstructure, threatening its very existence.

Kolkata cannot do without this link across the Hooghly river, but the government cannot countenance any situation where red could prevail either. So, any delay in dealing with this menace would be inadvisable.

That it has continued for so long in any case points to the continuing popularity of the addictive, if corrosive, elements of the red concoction. Indeed, people are loath to discard familiar habits, no matter how harmful, unless forced by experience or diktat.

The government will have to chew on the components of this paandemic very thoroughly to find the solution as the Howrah Bridge is not the only landmark endangered thus. Merely telling habitués about the health hazards of this red obsession would be inadequate. However, precipitate action such as banning those who spread these acidic red marks would be counterproductive too, as the long-term consequences could be unpalatable.