People are talking about —

— the penchant with ‘development’ and how trees are cut indiscriminately to make concrete structures and roads — the recent chopping down of old trees in the capital to make room for a road is a case in point. People say Islamabad was known as “Clean and Green’ but unfortunately it is now going the way of other cities, with heaps of garbage seen in many areas and loss of greenery because our authorities do not take the trouble to find alternate ways of avoiding this destructive ‘development.’

— the horrific practices of bear baiting and dancing in Pakistan. These two traditions — bear baiting, where bears are chained and attacked by dogs for entertainment and dancing bears, where cubs are tortured into performing unnatural movements, are shameful relics that must be abolished and with strict resolve, as despite being illegal for decades, these customs persist in rural areas where law enforcement is scarce and public awareness remains limited.

— the fact that the transport mafia have raised fares and it is the lower-income groups and those living and working outside their hometowns that face the brunt of these increases and might not be able to afford to travel back to their families for Eid. People say the extra money does not go to those who run the business and are often overworked and tired but to the wealthy owners, who do not need to resort to such greedy tactics to fill their coffers.

— the example set by one housing society in converting the wastewater of residential apartments into an innovative ‘grey water’ recycling system to address water scarcity and promote sustainability. This solution, adopted by two dozen of the 55 blocks, sustains lawns and conserves precious freshwater and highlights how other neighbourhoods across the country can opt to have recycled grey water for their needs, while new constructions should incorporate systems for grey water recycling from the planning stage to ensure long term sustainability.

— in marketing terms, ‘sale’ means to sell something at a discounted price, the logic behind this being to finish available stock and get money for the purchase of fresh items. People say these days ‘sales’ are going on all year and have no limit, with even the most popular of brands making tall claims, like ‘up to 50 per cent and even 70pc off,’ the trick being in the word ‘up to’ but once you enter the shop, hardly anything is discounted.

— how a few private sector universities are hurting the country’s image abroad as they are involved in the insidious business of ‘selling’ degrees, issuing them to anyone who has enrolled and has paid the fees. People say this practice has been extended to offering full time, on campus degree programmes to non-resident Pakistanis, who get registered, pay the fee and get degrees without visiting the campus. The relevant quarters should pay attention to the matter, and eradicate this cancer from our academic institutions in society once and for all. — I.H.