letterstoeditor

CIVILIAN CASUALTIES IN J&K

Apropos the news, ‘Two civilians killed as forces fire at protesters during encounter with militants’, (March 28). Army chief Bipin Rawat had warned stone-pelters of “tough action” if found indulging in giving cover to militants during encounters. The army chief had also said security forces in J&K were facing higher casualties due to the support of the locals to holed-up militants. The locals seem to have ignored the warning of the army chief, resulting in deaths of civilians.

RK Arora, Amritsar

SPURT IN ROAD MISHAPS

Not a day passes in Punjab without a fatal road accident. Speeding, overloading of commercial vehicles, drunk en driving and high beam lights are some of the glaring reasons for the spurt in road mishaps. Traffic signals are violated with imp unity and the cops seem to look the other way. At Punjab Armed Police chow kin J alan dh ar, a temporary bus stop is creating serious traffic hazards. There should be city-wise committees comprising traffic cops and citizens to ensure order on the road. Rajat Kumar Mohindru, Jalandhar

PERKS OF MPS, MLAS

Apropos the editorial, ‘They can’t float above the fray’. Elected representatives becoming arbiters for their own privileges does not sound right. The apex court’s observation existing freebies and pensions for MPs and MLAs are unreasonable is welcome. Most of our lawmakers are rich elite and still enjoy a slew of subsidies. Our honourable lawmakers should float with the people who elect them! LJS Panesar

THE SCOURGE OF DEPRESSION

Depression is a scourge of the modern times. India is among the nations that allocate least for the education and health sectors. We should focus on this disease this ‘World Health Day’ (April 7) and draw a comprehensive plan to create awareness and facilities for treatment. We can involve corporates to set up world-class hospitals. BM Singh, Amritsar

CASHLESS INDIA

The central government has set up a committee to expedite the process of transforming the nation into a cashless economy. The committee will work upon different ways to digitise transactions and coordinate efforts to make them easily accessible. This will surely change the outlook of the country. Prachi Utreja, Ambala

ALCOHOL BAN DURING PILGRIMAGE

The Uttarakhand government’s decision to prohibit liquor consumption during the yearly Chardham Yatra is a welcome step. The pilgrims will undergo through tests at Gangotri, Yamnotri , Kedarnath and Badrinath. The Punjab government should also ban sale and consumption of alcohol near religious sites.

Aastha Bagga, Hoshiarpur

THE BRITISH HANGOVER

Never expect the elite class to serve the masses. It is against the nature’s course of justice. The British left, but they were replaced by the ‘brown sahibs’. The onus will now be on the ‘cattle class’ to send the ‘brown sahibs’ home. The world has changed for the better in the last 50 years, much more than it did in the past 500 years. But our political and bureaucratic masters are still reading about the India of 1857 and the British-era political equations. There is need to change the mindset of the bureaucrats. The only hope is that more professionals are entering the civil services. Mahavir Jagdev, Chandigarh

MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS

George Orwell in his novel ‘Animal Farm’ wrote — ‘All (animals) are equal, but some (animals) are more equal than others’. Our leaders, like Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Gaikwad, are more equal than others. They break the law of the land with impunity. Gaikwad hit an Air India official with his shoe. Instead of apologising for his obnoxious behaviour, he boasted that he had the authority to do anything. An FIR has been lodged against him, but no action has been taken against him so far. Worse is that his party is backing him. Usha Verma, Chandigarh

SIDHU’S FREE RUN

The go-ahead given to minister Navjot Sidhu by the advocate general of Punjab for continuing with his TV assignments is not in good taste. Going by the logic Sidhu is citing, all government employees are eligible to do private business after office hours. Anuradha Aggarwal, Patiala

KEEP CRIME PLOTS SIMPLE, PLEASE

TV serials and films are the biggest source of entertainment for the majority of population. But some serials seem to be giving new ideas of committing crime, which many emulate in real life. The directors and producers of the entertainment world should rein in their horses and keep the plots simple. PS Kaur, Amritsar

MAKING AADHAAR MANDATORY

This refers to the report, ‘Can’t make Aadhaar must for benefits: SC’, (HT, March 28). The apex court has stated that Aadhaar cards cannot be made mandatory for availing benefits of government welfare schemes. The apex court, however, said the government cannot be barred from seeking these cards for purposes like filing of income tax returns and opening of accounts. The Aadhaar has already been linked for availing LPG subsidy.

M Lal Garg, Chandigarh