letterstoeditor

UNREGULATED FUEL PRICES AFFECT DAILY LIFE

The continuous hike in petrol and diesel prices is worrisome. When crude oil prices were at historic lows, the government imposed unethical taxes. Under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), at similar international crude oil prices, the rate that Indian citizens paid was almost half of today. It is a real shame that a government that oversees all other sectors through regulators, claiming to protect consumers’ interests has left the fuel sector - that has a daily impact on all lives - unregulated.

Fateh Pal Singh Malhi,

Bathinda

INVEST RESOURCES WISELY

The importance of the strategic disinvestment of Air India cannot be overstated. For a country like ours, grappling with an educational crisis and inadequate public health infrastructure, the government can’t ill-afford to invest resources in a commercial venture such as civil aviation. We will be better served if resources are ploughed into areas where a meaningful difference can be made.

Akram Shahab,

Chandigarh

KUDOS TO PUNJABIS

Punjabis have left no stone unturned to make the state shine on the global map. From being prominent politicians to excelling in sports, Punjabis have done it all. Now, it is time to congratulate Jagmeet Singh and Gurratan Singh for filing nominations in Canada. We must also take note of Panesar brothers from Ludhiana joining Canadian hockey team. May the universe give more power to Punjabis.

Aakash Arora

BEWARE OF THE DRUG TRAP

We must take urgent measures to curb the menace of drug abuse. Insomnia restlessness, depression and cardiac problems are some of the side-effects of the addiction. Youngsters consider taking drugs as fashion. They must be given psychiatric help in educational institutions. Parents have to take responsibility to save their kids from the drug trap.

Harpreet Kaur, Sirhind

FUTILE GESTURE OF NDA MPS

The decision of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs to forego salary for the time the Parliament remained disrupted is aimed more at showing the opposition in poor light than finding a permanent solution to frequent adjournments and walkouts. If the NDA MPs are not a party to disruptions, why should they give up their salary? Instead, they should urge the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman to deny salary to opposition MPs. We also need to consider the fact that the opposition leaders have accused the government of deliberately preparing the ground for disruptions to pre-empt the tabling of a no-confidence motion against PM Modi.

Tarsem Singh, Mahilpur

FAKE NEWS: IRANI’S CURE WORSE THAN DISEASE

The Prime Minister has done well to control his minister Smriti Irani, who was ready for a confrontation with the press, with her diktat on fake news and wanting to go after accredited journalists. With general elections on the horizon, her announcement of suspension of accreditation of a reporter for peddling fake news, has backfired. The information and broadcasting minister should have realised now that her cure for the menace of fake news was more damaging than the disease. It would have spared Modi the job of damage control.

LJS Panesar, Amritsar

DALIT PROTEST A SIGN OF DEEPER DISCONTENT

Monday’s protests revealed a deep-rooted sense of alienation and exclusion among the Dalits. The BJP government failed to gauge that how deeply, Dalits have invested in the law. Dalits see this as a powerful instrument to resist and fight caste-centered harassment. The government took its own time to file a review petition, deepening the Dalits’ mistrust of the establishment. Several incidents like the RSS’ call to end reservation and the suicide of Rohith Vemula has led to the emergence of a new militant leadership among Dalits. This has coincided with the rise of Hindutva politics. Old and dormant fault lines of caste have reopened.

PL Singh, Amritsar

COW PROTECTION: HP SHOWS THE WAY

Apropos ‘HP assembly passes bill for allocation of 15% temple funds to cow protection (HT Region, April 5)’, the bill is sorely needed. It is a disgrace that despite claims of cow protection, abandoned cows roam on streets, feeding on garbage and plastic. This leads to their death. Even in gaushalas, the condition is pathetic. If other states emulate Himachal Pradesh, much of the problem of cow protection can be taken care of.

Soshil Rattan, Amritsar

LURE OF GREENER PASTURES

There is no doubt that the government has done laudable humanitarian service, by locating the buried bodies of Indian workers in Iraq and then getting these to relatives. Monetary compensation has also been announced. Though there has been understandable outrage among the relatives of victims over Union minister of state for external affairs General VK Singh (retd) saying that these men were illegal migrants, the fact remains that the minister is not off the mark. Governments need to get serious about curbing unscrupulous travel agents. If this does not happen, the lure of greener pastures and the greed of illegal travel agents will continue to create such mounds of misery and grief.

BN Anand, Mohali