DEVELOPMENT DOESN’T HAVE TO COME AT THE COST OF GREEN COVER

It’s shocking to see that the government is not worried about the reducing green cover in the state (State lost 59 sq km green cover in 7 years, May 2). Development does not necessarily mean destroying nature. Affordable housing is needed but getting that at the cost of greenery is unfair. We need to ensure the green cover is protected. Buildings can be built elsewhere but no one is making any efforts to restore the green cover. Indian soldiers, mutilates bodies, May 2). Five policemen and two civilians were also killed while attacking a cash van by militants. Such dastardly incidents have only been on the rise since the so-called ‘surgical strikes’. Our army is supposed to be one of the best in the world and Field Marshall Manekshaw demonstrated this in the Bangladesh war in 1971. The time has clearly come now for our new army general to give a fitting reply to our hostile neighbour.

All the affected nations must come together to plan a strategy and teach a lesson to the nations that propagate terrorism. PM Narendra Modi is known to take tough decisions and he must realise that we have arrived at a now-or-never scenario as we cannot be mute spectators when our soldiers’ bodies are being mutilated. A war does come at a cost and it sure would be a setback to the economy but terrorism has to end if future generations have to live in peace. Also, the defence minister portfolio, which is currently with finance minister Arun Jaitley, should be handed over to someone who can focus on it as decisions concerning national security cannot be taken lightly.