Letters to Editor

Is Binayak Sen a terrorist?

Arindam Chaudhuri's write up “Supreme court should ban the sedition law...” (TSI, Mar 28-Apr 3) is a brilliant piece that has launched a blistering attack on the blatant misuse of sedition law by the state with the help of police against all those who raise their voice against state repression and custodial violence. Is Binayak Sen a terrorist? Has it been proved beyond doubt that he was deliberately aiding terrorists and was a serious threat to our nation? Is he guilty of delivering seditious speeches along with separatists to foment violence? Is he worse than even dreaded leaders of terror outfits like ULFA whom the Centre is releasing and treating like VIPs by inviting them for talks?
Sanjeev Sirohi
Meerut

Forces of nature

This refer to “India can’t afford a Japan type disaster” (TSI, Mar 21- 27). The worst danger is Japan’s nuclear energy plants. Although Japan planned for betterment of human beings but it entailed the danger which the planners could not foresee. This proves limitations of human beings against nature. Already global warming is another example of greed of human beings. The bigger the advantages, bigger are the dangers. Still, instead of dumping nuclear energy uses it is better to find solutions for the known dangers of it. Indian brains can definitely find solutions!
Mahesh Kumar
New Delhi

Unethical land grabbing

Arindam's editorial “Making private entrepreneurs ...” (TSI, Mar 14-20) was hard hitting. The most misconstrued term in India seems to be 'public'. When millions in this country are struggling for basic amenities, you have these so called public officials mediating for inflated realty prices; thus making commoner's living almost impossible. An example to cite in this context would be the massive confiscation of agricultural land in the name of development and SEZs, by branding all the arable land as barren and selling it to corporates. at throwaway prices. Recently in my hometown Kochi, a small canal was re-diverted by the land mafia in a single night as their land was in the Panchayat, and a slight re-direction of the canal would place their land in the city limit, which can fetch them millions when sold. It's high time our administrators act humanly and transparently.
Robin Thomas
Kochi


Stand up India

This refers to the article “NATO’S inevitable war” (TSI, Mar 28-Apr 3). The world is again paying the price for the idiotic aspirations of the West and its allies. They have made it a routine now to disrupt world peace to fulfil their own interests. Whatever the Libyans are facing can best be controlled by themselves, and by not some coalition force that want to show their military might again and again. Obama should be stripped of his Nobel Peace Prize for not only supporting but also participating in such strikes. For India, this is time when its BRIC alliance should really think of confronting issues which are detrimental for its interests. It only needs some guts to stand up against the West.
Rita Chatterjee
Jharkhand

Take stock of the situation

Japan’s losses emphasise the superiority of natural forces over human technology. The fifth most powerful earthquake in recorded history challenged the world’s best-prepared country. But scientists and structural engineers still feel that Japan’s actions over the years to protect itself from earthquakes through rigorous earthquake-resistant building construction and design codes contrast dramatically with India’s feeble efforts to keep its population safe from big tremors. I guess about five years ago an Indian geologist had warned that India was using a flawed seismic hazard map which grossly underestimated the actual force that buildings across northern India would experience during powerful earthquakes. Though several geophysicists agree with him, yet the map remains unchanged even today.
P. Arihanth
Secunderabad

Where is cleanliness?

I should thank Prasoon S. Majumdar for his article “Slumdog millionaire to Shanghai dreams” (TSI, Mar 14-20). Though the significance of civic amenities can be traced back to Indus Valley civilisation, we refrain from being clean and prefer to remain victims of unhealthy environment. May be, owing to huge population pressure and most defunct city planning, the whole idea of adequate civil amenities has taken a back seat. Only a clean mind can entertain the idea of keeping the environment clean. The various municipal bodies in the country are guilty of not performing their primary functions. Cleanliness is nowhere to be seen whether it is water supply, sanitation or maintenance of burial grounds. Open toilets are a common sight. Sewage water very generously gets mixed up with drinking water. We dream of our cities being transformed into a Shanghai or Singapore when we cannot cultivate the simple habit of keeping our streets and surroundings clean! Mahatma Gandhi’s message “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” appears to occupy the pages of history.
Prem K. Menon
Mumbai


Save the tiger

Suprabha's shocking coverage of 20 tiger deaths in 15 months in Bannerghata Biological Park in Bangalore titled “Death stalks the tiger” (TSI, Mar 28-Apr 3) is a wake-up call for all the stakeholders in preservation of tigers. Many reasons are there for tiger deaths. We need veterinary doctors who are specialists in tigers' diseases and we must have best of the medicines to take care of medical emergencies on 24 hour basis. We talk of tourism and earnings out of it, and time has come when tigers get some sizable chunk of this goldmine for their very survival.
John Alexander
Nagpur


Abandon nuclear quest

Hats off to Arindam Chaudhuri for his thought provoking write up “India can't afford a Japan type disaster” (TSI, Mar 21-27). We must stop selling ourselves to recession-struck Western countries who are in search of profits from India. So we should stop our quest for nuclear energy. Japan's Fukushima has shown the world a dreadful mirror of its first nuclear catastrophe. Its earthquake affected nuclear reactors have left thousands of Japanese people exposed to radiation. In the end, the progress of technology could prove lethal for civilisation. Albert Einstein once said that after the third world war, the “fourth world war will be fought with sticks and stones”. If the human race is to survive, it must learn to respect the forces of nature. Nuclear power should not be thrust on an unwilling populace. Would not causalities be many times more in India if such a horrible accident occurs here? One hopes that at least now our government will be sufficiently pressured to reverse its nuclear energy addiction.
Suman
Noida, UP


Lend help to japan

This refers to the cover story “India can't afford a Japan type disaster” (TSI, Mar 21-27). The recent earthquake followed by the catastrophic tsunami has left the technology giant Japan in a devastated state. As though it was not enough, the explosion of nuclear plants has added fuel to the fire and worsened the condition. At this stage every country of the world should realise that everyone is equal when it comes to natural calamities and its wrath spares no one. Hence all the nations, no matter what their financial status is, should come forward to lend a helping hand to the calamity struck Japan to bring back to its normal state.

Ippili Santhosh Kumar
Hyderabad