M A I L B A G

Save the system from criminals

I refer to the editorial “Minister bows out: Tainted politicians a blot on the system” (Nov 7). It is a shame that persons who ought to be behind bars are sitting in Parliament and occupying ministerial positions enjoying power and prestige. Those who violate the rule of law are allowed to rule the democratic country. Those who are opposed to formulate and implement laws for public welfare are misusing them for their own interest. They play hide and seek with the police and are expected to implement law and order.

It is time we took some concrete steps like banning the political parties who field tainted persons in the elections and debarring such persons from exercising their franchise to check the growing criminalisation of politics.

If the present laws are not enough to check the entry of people with criminal background, the voters should send the right persons to Parliament/State legislatures.

VIJAY DHIMAN, Katholi (Kangra)

II

Former Union Minister of State for Water Resources Jaiprakash Narain Yadav is rightly charged with facilitating the illegal escape of his brother from Khaira police station. But action should also be taken against the Senior SP if he has really beaten up Vijay Kumar even when nabbed by the police.

Some TV channels have projected the Senior SP as a hero, but he apparently violated the human rights. The law does not allow the police to deal with the accused in police custody in such a way.

PARVINDER SINGH KITTNA, Nawanshahr

Crop insurance welcome I refer to the report “Rabi crops under insurance scheme” (Nov 15). The Haryana government deserves appreciation for extending the insurance scheme parameters to include gram and rapeseed mustard. The Group Insurance Scheme will now be launched at the block and district level. It will indemnify the loss of crop (rabi) in case the small and marginal farmers suffer due to ill weather conditions. Accordingly, the farmers will now be encouraged to sow gram mustard instead of wheat and paddy which is the need of Haryana’s agribusiness plans. The sufferer farmers should get the claim in time and with minimum formalities. The Agriculture Department must ensure this. YUGAL KISHORE SHARMA, Khambi (Faridabad)

Bus stand in a mess

The Jalandhar bus stand is in a terrible mess. The building itself is too weak and may collapse any time. Broken benches, dirty walls and no fans greet passengers. There is no drainage system. A shower is enough to turn the premises into a virtual lake.

Buses are also parked in a haphazard manner. The boundary walls must be lined with trees. More exit points are needed to ease congestion and avoid traffic jams. What are the government and Municipal Corporation authorities doing?

RAJ KUMAR, Chandigarh

Water for Himachal

I read with interest the editorial “Water scarcity: Himachal wakes up to reality” (Oct 2). It highlights Himachal’s bid to meet the challenge posed by water scarcity that is increasingly afflicting the states.

I have carefully read the Bill on the subject referred to in the editorial. The Bill is quite comprehensive but is silent on one vital point - the need for erection of cheap multi-purpose earthen structures over the choes interspersing the state on the pattern of the dam over the Chohal Choe on the Gagret-Hoshiarpur inter-state highway in Punjab.

This dam is an example of fruitful rainwater harvesting in the true sense of the term. Thanks to the dam, one must see the resultant fascinating scenario in the area.

TARA CHAND, Ambota (Una)

Adoption of words

In his letter about use of Hindi words in the First Information Report, N.R. Goel has remarked that the possibility of adopting Jan Raksha for ‘police’ should be explored. In revenue records also many turgid terms, like vaasil-baaqui-navees (revenue accountant), haqq-e sh’fa (right of pre-emption), kaashtkaar ba istehqaaq haqqah (hereditary tenant), etc are used. Even gram is mentioned as nakhud (a Persian word) instead of chana. These should be replaced by simple Hindi and Punjabi words. However, common words like shamlat (common land), zamanat (bail, surety), etc should continue to be used.

I think that “Police” is more common than Jan Raksha. Instead of coining words for bus, car, cup, plate, cinema, park, biscuit, etc., these should be adopted to enrich the Hindi and Punjabi languages. Are not sherbet, tonga, chick, purdah, bandh, dharna, etc used in English writings?

BHAGWAN SINGH, Qadian