M A I L B A G

Strike at the root of the disease

This has reference to Mr P.P.S Gill’s article “Missing — the girl chid in the North” (Dec 30). Female foeticide is not a disease in itself, but symptom of a serious malignancy that is gradually damaging the social fabric. The ban on sex determination tests and foeticide is not a remedial step nor a step in the right direction, because by striking at the symptom, one cannot cure the disease.

The first step should be of diagnosis followed by a comprehensive programme of treatment. Female foeticide and the alarming imbalance in sex-ratio are symptoms of a chronic socio-cultural disease affecting the entire world. Discriminating against women at every step, restricting their growth and development, their marginalisation and crippling conditioning and training, treating them not as assets but liability, rapes and molestations, dowry deaths all constitute the disease. And unless a concerted effort is made to strike at the root of the disease, i.e. treating all persons as individuals irrespective of sex, offer equal opportunities and avenues, accord them a status matching their calibre, female foeticide will continue unabated.

Let us all wake up and stop cremating in the womb daughters before they get achance for self-actualisation. Who knows, tomorrow, these daughters may excel like Kiran Bedi, Sushma Swaraj or Kalpana Chawla. Let us not make a girl's life painful from the womb to the tomb. Only then, we can check female foeticide.

Neelam Prabha, BBK DAV College for Women, Amritsar

Documents of Udham

This refers to a news-item in which the government has been urged to get the documents of Udham Singh released (The Tribune, July 27). In this connection, it is informed that all the documents of Udham Singh in England have been retrieved by the Shaheed Udham Singh Welfare Trust, Birmingham. These documents have been published by Dr. Navtej Singh and Mr. Avtar Singh Jouhl in the book “Emergence of the image: Documents of Udham Singh” (National Book Trust, New Delhi, 550 pages, 2002). Dr. Navtej Singh has also authored a book “Challenge to imperial hegemony: The life story of a great Indian patriot Udham Singh” (1998). Its Punjabi version will be made available in the new year.

P.S. Bajaj, New Delhi

Deplorable trend

This has reference to Mr N.K. Gosain’s letter “A despicable act” (Jan 3). I fully endorse his views. While giving punishment to students on trivial matters, the teachers beat them blue and black. This has become too frequent in all schools. Recently, according to reports, a student was so badly beaten by his teacher for forgetting to bring his book to the school that he succumbed to the injuries in the hospital.

In another case, according to a TV report, a student who refused to purchase items from an exhibition held by her school was so tortured by her teacher that she tried to commit suicide by jumping from the roof-top of her house. She sustained multiple fractures. There are many more cases. The teachers should not be allowed to convert the class rooms into torture rooms.

Richa Bhasker, Amritsar

Wrong decision

The Himachal Pradesh government’s new policy on fitness of vehicles is not in the interests of either the vehicle operators or the motor vehicle inspectors. According to this policy, the employees of other departments such as the Himachal Road Transport Corporation, the Himachal Electricity Board and the Public Works Department have the authority to issue fitness certificates to the vehicles. This is in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act,1989.

The Himachal Road Transport Corporation is expected to open up centres for servicing the vehicles which will have to pass the fitness test. I appeal to the Chief Minister to look into this matter and scrap the policy.

Chaman Lal, Sundernagar (HP)

Clear encroachments

Either the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana is blind as it cannot see the encroachments or deaf as it does not listen to the voice of the people and newspapers. Perhaps both. It has failed to remove permanent and temporary encroachments on municipal land in various parts of the city. As a result, traffic congestion continues. The city remains filthy and dirty with overflowing sewers and stinking drains. Why do we end up electing such inefficient and lazy corporators who do not care for the city and its residents? Next time round when they ask for the vote, they should not be reelected unless they deliver fast and impose the laws to clear encroachments.

Dr. B.S. Ahloowalia, Vienna, Austria