letterstoeditor

BANNING THE SALE OF FIRECRACKERS GOOD

The HT editorial, ‘A cracker of judgment (Oct 10)’, has hit the nail on the head. The Supreme Court needs to be lauded for not just recognising and protecting health needs of future generations but also tilting the balance in favour of a majority of citizens against commercial interests of a few. Social evils need to be dealt with sternly and must not be linked with religion. Not only the sale but also the production of all high-decibel firecrackers should be banned. Lalit Lalit Lalit Bharadwaj, Bharadwaj, Bharadwaj, Panchkula Panchkula Panchkula

II

The Supreme Court has rightly banned the sale of firecrackers this Diwali in Delhi to curb air and noise pollution. It would have been better had the court banned the bursting of firecrackers. The administrations of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula should also ban the sale of crackers to save the environment. People should understand the futility of burning money on firecrackers. Jaspreet Kaur, Mohali

III

Banning the sale of firecrackers in the national capital region alone won’t bring down pollution. The need is to protect the environment of the country. An environment-friendly alterna- tive to crackers is needed as people won’t stop from bursting firecrackers despite the ban. The teaching should begin from schools. Young minds should be sensitised about the futility of burning huge money on crackers. Gurbaj Gurbaj Gurbaj Gurbaj Gurbaj Singh, Singh, Singh, Singh, Singh, Gurdaspur Gurdaspur Gurdaspur Gurdaspur Gurdaspur

IV

In 2005, the Supreme Court had prohibited the bursting of firecrackers from 10pm to 6am in view of the noise and air pollution. No doubt, this time the apex court has taken a bold step by banning the sale of firecrackers. The step should have been taken earlier in view of the alarming rise in pollution levels. It would be appreciable if every high court follows suit for the cause of a safe environment. Hemant Kumar, Ambala

SGPC’S GST GROUSE

Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Kirpal Singh Badungar has been demanding exemption of goods and services tax (GST) on langar material. Free langar (community kitchen) is an integral part of Sikhism. The langar for over a lakh devotees daily is possible only because of donations. Demanding GST exemption on langar material amounts to demeaning the sensibilities of devotees. On the other hand, Badungar has refused to share information on sacrilege incidents with the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission. He doesn’t seem serious about the probe into the sacrilege of the holy scripture and is more concerned to know who appointed the commission. He even said the SGPC is not a puppet in the hands of the Amarinder Singh government. Did he dare to say so during the (Parkash Singh) Badal rule?

LJS Panesar, Amritsar

STOP PROMOTING TAJ

According to Karan Thapar, Taj Mahal is a victim of prejudice. Only a journalist like him can think so. The monument will remain where it is without doubt. Why make a mountain out of a mole hill? There are hundreds of tourist spots in India. Why doesn’t the journalist in him rise to the occasion and promote the Golden Temple? Raj as than has religious temples-cum-tourists pots that can be promoted. Let’s stop promoting only the Taj Mahal. Colonial culture has to be given a burial. People look forward to a journalist to make a fair assessment of an issue without sensationalising it. Dr Devinder Garg,

Chandigarh

MAKE GT ROAD SAFE

Basic traffic rules are being not adheredtoon Grand Trunk (GT) Road. At night, a large number of tractor-trolleys ply without reflectors. Slow speed vehicles usually move on the innermost lane of the road. Crossing them at a high speed is a risk. Stray cattle grazing on the middle green belt of the road are life-threatening. Roadside parking is common. Even road signs are faulty. Road barriers are full of advertisement boards and posters in violation of court rulings. Fatal accidents take place often. The administration should take steps for the safety of commuters. Dr Ranbir Singh Pannu,

Amritsar

DON’T GIFT RANKS

This refers to the photo of Indian Air Force chief BS Dhanoa shaking hands with cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on IAF Day. Earlier, one could proudly say that our defence services were the only organisations left with no nonsensical style of working, but certain decisions taken by successive chiefs have demeaned the uniform. One of them is gifting ranks to cricketers and other sportspersons. It is hard to understand why the forces are banking on paper tigers to make the profession attractive.

DS Thukral, Ambala

ALLWOMAN POLICE STATIONS

‘Empowered by khaki, women cops fight back’, HT (Oct 6) is inspirational. It is an exhorta- tion to provide quality education to girls. Haryana chief minister ML Khattar has taken an important step to empower women. Haryana is the only state to have all-woman police stations in all districts. The complainants, who hesitate to go to police stations to avoid awkward questions and harassment by male cops, can now lodge their complaints without fear. Usha Verma, Chandigarh

GODHRA VERDICT

The Gujarat high court verdict on the Godhra carnage is disappointing. Justice has been diluted on the plea that the convicts had only planned the carnage. Planning such a inhuman act is more heinous than executing it. The Gujarat government must file a review petition against this dilution of justice. The culprits must be punished. AK Sharma, Chandigarh

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

This refers to the October 9 editorial on human trafficking. This is most rampant crime in laboursurplus and backward areas of the country. Most often, victims are children and women from rural areas. They are exploited physically and economically. The need is to publicise helpline numbers. NGOs must play a proactive role. Sana Farheen, Mohali