M A I L B A G

“Human error” is perennial excuse

THE recent rail accident is the most tragic in terms of severity, loss of precious human lives and property. Ninetynine per cent accidents are caused due to negligence. The Railway Safety Department should wake up and shake up the operational staff. There should be Standard Operating Procedures laid down for various operational activities of the Railways and should be strictly adhered to. There should be periodic checks of operations by the safety teams of each division as well as the teams of the Safety Department. The various suggestions/problems pointed out by the working staff should be looked into and implemented immediately.

Apart from routine maintenance, the preventive maintenance should also form a part of system check and should be monitored by the authorities. Such inspections/checks should be properly logged and kept with the Station Masters.

There should be a standby wireless communication system in case of sudden failure of the normal telephones. The Railway Safety Department should seriously consider incorporating the latest technologies to prevent accidents.

Satish Kumar, Chandigarh

II

We take action only when something goes wrong. Why don’t we have the system of counter-checks? Why are there no surprise checkings? What have we learnt from the past?

Is it sufficient to set up a committee? By the time committee reports come, another mishap takes place.

We cannot afford to make the excuse of “human error” time and again.

VIKAS ARORA, Yamuna Nagar

IAF promotions

With reference to the Tribune dated December 14 (SC orders review of IAF promotions), if a CEO, Chief Editor , a Chief Minister or cricket captain has the exclusive, final right to select his top team, surely a military chief must have the same ordinary right without being questioned on points of law at every executive decision.

There are in every organisation and profession, civilian or military, outstanding professionals, adequately senior and experienced — who for quite pragmatic reasons the boss would rather not have around when work needs to be got done the way the boss wants it done.

Apex teams must be selected without getting involved with court procedures.

Lt Col Premendra Singh (retd), Nabha

Publicity stunt

It refers to publication of kissing pictures of Kareena-Shahid Kapoor as excerpts from video-clippings filmed through mobile-phone! Interestingly, Kareena or Shahid have not objected to wide-scale publicity through the showing of the clipping by almost all the TV news-channels.

No newspaper will invite trouble by forging such scenes. It seems to be a drama for cheap publicity. Rather, action should be initiated against Kareena and Shahid for obscene/ vulgar activities in public places.

MADHU AGRAWAL, Delhi

Separate entity

I have a bone to pick with Mr Inder Malhotra (“Quest for permanent seat”, December 9). We clearly understand when he speaks of “all civilisations”. He means that with Egypt the Islamic and Arab civilisation, with Brazil the Christian-Portuguese-Catholic-Mulatto-civilisation, with Japan the Buddhist and yellow civilisation, with Russia the orthodox Slavic Christian civilisation, with UK the Anglo-Saxon Christian Protestant civilisation, with China the Mongol communist or atheist civilisation, with India the Hindu civilisation, with South Africa the Black civilisation, with Germany the Nordic and Aryan civilisation etc. will all get representation in the United Nations Security Council.

But I must remind him that we Sikhs, though the youngest civilisation in the world are a totally different kettle of fish. What about our civilisation? Where will we get a representation?

SIMRANJIT SINGH MANN, Quilla S. Harnam Singh, Fatehgarh Sahib (Amritsar)

Justice at last The award of seven years rigorous imprisonment by the Supreme Court to a HP Headmaster for raping a handicapped minor (December 19) vindicates the judiciary of blemish it earned from the judgement delivered by the HP High Court acquitting the depraved Headmaster of rape charges, against the trial court’s judgement of “guilty” based on irrefutable evidence produced by the prosecution! This heinous act was committed on December 7, 1992. The final judgement declaring the culprit guilty was delivered by the apex court nearly 12 years after this horrible incident took place. The Supreme Court has rightly declared that the judgement of “acquittal” delivered by the High Court suffers from the vice of perversity. The State Government’s action in filing an appeal against the High Court judgement is laudable. Notwithstanding the maxim “justice delayed is justice denied”, it is hoped the poor girl and her family having endured the trauma inflicted by this disgraceful incident would be adequately compensated by the State Government for it was one of its employees who enacted this despicable episode. Brig H.S. CHANDEL, (retd), Malanger (HP)