Letters to editor

Time to think

Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri is right when he says that “India can't afford a Japan type disaster” (TSI, Mar 21-27). Indians are usually slow in taking decisions and adopting precautionary measures. So the government has to think thrice to increase the number of nuclear reactors. If solar energy is more cost effective and safer why should we pursue nuclear power, whose furious output we have seen recently? Is it the pressure from external sources or anything else? I agree with the author that we should tap our renewable energy sources. I request you to please follow up the issue in the coming issues so that pressure is made on the government.
Rabin Kumar Khandayatray
Bhubaneswar

Second thought needed

As Arindam Chaudhuri has rightly pointed out in his editorial “India can't afford a Japan type disaster” (TSI, Mar 21-27), if a country like Japan can be devastated, one can well imagine the situation in developing countries, particularly India, which due to its large populace can pose a greater threat and where the concept of disaster management is still in the nascent stage. When even a heavy downpour could bring misery and life to a standstill in Mumbai and other parts of the country, one wonders what would happen to India should a disaster of the magnitude of the recent one in Japan occur. This forces us to consider where the benefits of nuclear energy outweigh  potential risks. Yes sir, we do need to have second thoughts.
Dr. Ashwani K. Malhotra
Ludhiana

List your priorities

Apropos of your cover story “In the dole-drums” (TSI, Feb 14-20), a government’s first priority should be to provide education, skill-building activities and the space for work for the economically weaker sections of the society. Then they can earn for themselves and their dependent. This will enhance their self-confidence level. Perhaps most politicians think people to be their slaves. And people, for the lack of consciousness of their rights, become beggars in the time of elections. The Left Front government has handicapped its people, especially Muslims and other backward caste people for its wrong education and reservation policy. While well off Muslim children go to schools, those from poor families go to madrasas, patronised by the government, where religious education is imparted. These students are not capable of competing with the modern educated people.
Uttam Kumar Bhowmik
Dhalhara, Tamluk

A ray of hope

The thought-provoking write up “A pre-emptive strike” (TSI, Mar 14-20) fires anyone with enthusiasm for the art of Krav Maga, as revealed by Prashanto Banerji. It's a great weapon to fight one’s fear and to lead a life of dignity. The writer through the glaring examples unfolds how the life of a woman in our so-called civilized society is not at all secured for the carnal desires blended with brutality of the male counterparts. It is needless to say that often the women are considered by many people to be just play things and sex objects. In this context though the thought of Krav Maga seems incredible, the article offers ample hope and confidence. I urge Prashanto to deal with the art of Krav Maga in details in the ensuing articles.
Nirupama Ghibela
Balangir, Orissa

Steps for de-addiction

On the alarming rise in drug addiction cases in Punjab,  the story “Virile no more!” (TSI, Mar 14-20) has raised legitimate concerns that the vibrant state that had ushered in the green revolution is today living in a dazed stupor. The problem is at its worst along the border with Pakistan where heroin originating from Afghanistan is smuggled into the country. Punjab’s youth is addicted to drugs which are sold at a price as low as Rs. 25 per dose. The reasons for such indulgence are not quite surprising. Rampant unemployment amongst the youth owing to illiteracy and poverty which leads to a deprived psychological state is what leads them into the menace of drugs in cities like Jalandhar, Patiala, Bhatinda and Amritsar. While richer customers take to expensive drugs such as poppy husk, cocaine, heroine etc, Iodex and petrol come to the rescue of the poor drug users. Although the state at present has three drug de-addiction centres in government medical colleges in Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot, yet special efforts should be made at district hospitals at Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar and Hoshiarpur to make their centres fully functional.
Dilbag Rai.
Chandigarh

Make them play

It refers to “Minnow talk” (TSI, Mar 14-20). It is in fact very sad that these so called minnows do not get enough opportunity apart from the four yearly affair, the World Cup, to showcase their talent to the world. By seeing Ireland's performance in the present world cup we can safely say that they have made huge strides in the game. the way they have beaten England and ensured that teams like India had tough time beating them. On one side, the ICC wants to encourage more countries to adopt this game and on the other they do not give new teams enough exposure at the highest level with stronger teams. In these circumstances how would the game  spread across the world?
Bal Govind
Noida

Bridge the gap

Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri in his editorial has analysed the 2011 budget with pinpoint precision (TSI, Mar 7-13). The budget has ignored basic aspects of economy like the rising prices, black money and rampant corruption. The farmer with small land holdings has no scope in the budget. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy, but the focus has shifted to towns and cities. While the Indian middle class has reaped benefits of the economic reforms, the poor remain mostly untouched. Due to an imbalance in economic development, almost one third of India is infected with Maoism and Naxalism. The interiors and remote areas of India are poor and underdeveloped. We have mistaken rising consumerism and the stock market as the only indicators of progress. The urban and rural India have a wide gap in lifestyles and incomes. This gap needs to be bridged .
Santosh mohan Joshi
Sangli, Maharashtra

Improper land grabbing

Apropos of the editorial “Making private....public land” (TSI, Mar 14-20), controversies, protests and violence have marred land acquisition for projects in India. Acquiring agricultural land, inappropriate compensation and environmental impact have been the main reasons for these protests. In some cases the protests are instigated by political parties. Although the Land Acquisition Act means acquiring land for some public purpose by the government as authorised by the law, activists complain that a number of projects, which have no public purpose, as in the case of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The Posco project in Orissa is the latest example of how the state government manipulated records to state no one inhabited the land taken over for the project. Will the poor farmers ever get their due?
J. Seshagiri
Mysore

Poor sanitation

This refers to “Slumdog millionaire to Shanghai dreams” (TSI, Mar 14-20), I would like to state that Prasoon has very rightly highlighted the deplorable and appalling state of the basic civic amenities in our country. The condition is no better even in metros and bigger cities where people easing themselves on the roadside is not an uncommon sight. During my stay in the tribal belt of north-east as well as among Adivasis of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, I have seen how the hygiene and sanitation aspect is ensured despite lack of modern sanitary requisites and technical back up. During the last few years, some “Sulabh Shauchalayas” have been created in some cities, yet firstly they are utterly inadequate and secondly, those created are far below the minimum hygiene and sanitation standard. Therefore, it is expected that the government will now at least put in place adequate measures to ensure proper civic amenities.
Lt Col (Retd) Ranjit Sinha
New Delhi

Freebies make beggars

While going through your cover story “In the dole drums” (TSI, Mar 14 -20) I was spontaneously reminded of Sir Ernest Benn’s famous quotation that puts the scenario of Indian politics in true and befitting perspective, “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it wrongly and applying unsuitable remedies.” It is no denying that the politics of freebies that is being played upon the miserable people of the various states in the wake of ensuing polls, in the name of rendering social welfare is nothing but a nefarious game of fooling the voters and usurping the power. Scams are there, embezzlement are there, corruption cases are galore, yet the politicians win elections. A serious question arises here: what ails the political system of India? How beautifully has Laotz laid out the guide to philosophy and modus-operandi of the Indian polity which needs to be always kept in memory by our politicians, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for a life time. Develop teachers of fishermen and you lift all society.”
Shreeprakash Sharma
Samastipur, Bihar