5th Pay Commission

The Punjab govt had agreed to pay the arrears of the 5th Pay Commission in three equal instalments. Its first instalment was released in November 2010. The second instalment, which was due in November 2011, has not been released till today. The government doles out funds for various welfare projects to maintain its vote bank. This kind of profligacy will add to the govt’s debt, which has already swelled to Rs 74,000 crore. If it does not have money to pay the arrears to its pensioners, where does it get money to please the voters?

BANSI RAM, Hoshiarpur

II

Justice delayed is justice denied, goes the saying. It holds true for the old pensioners who have filed petitions for adjudication regarding fixation or revision of their pensions. Most of the pensioners are old and require financial strength to face the vagaries of life. They are being harassed unduly. The courts should hear their cases on priority basis and dispose them of in the shortest possible time.

SL SINGAL, Ambala

Deworming of schoolchildren I want to refer to the news-item carried by The Tribune on November 20 regarding a government-sponsored project to get deworming of school children done in Bihar. In my opinion there is no better project to improve the health of school children. I have been associated with the medical profession for the last four decades. I have noticed that about 30 per cent of the the urban and 50 per cent of the village population in our country is infested with various types of worms. The general symptoms are abdominal discomfort, gradual loss of weight, pale look and gas in the abdomen. I have been distributing Albendazole tablets to children free of cost in various schools, colleges and villages. I have experienced very encouraging results. Most of them are cured or show marked improvement in health. In fact, this is not a very costly treatment. Like the pulse polio campaign, the project should be taken up in all the states with the help of NGOs. Dr HR KHERA, Pathankot

Father-daughter bond

The middle ‘Losing one’s father’ by Sarita Mohan touched my heart. The father-daughter relationship is different and cannot be expressed in words. A word in Urdu language ‘Babul’ has no equivalent in the English language; it simply does not mean ‘father’ but is beyond depth and range. After the mother, he serves as a guiding light for the children. In our culture, when a daughter gets married, her departure from her home to the groom’s home is heartrending and gloomy. At the same time, it is fulfilling for the parents who feel a sense of contentment and hope.

BM SINGH, Amritsar

Golden-heeled Socrates

On December 4, two different personalities lost their lives, the ‘evergreen’ star Dev Anand and the ‘golden heel’ soccer magician Socrates. The skipper of the 1982 World Cup Brazil squad died of an intestinal infection at 57. The former attacking midfielder, who played for Brazil in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, was a chain smoker and heavy drinker since his playing days. Socrates, a doctor by profession, knew that he was dying a slow death due to habitual drinking.

BIDYUT KUMAR CHATTERJEE, Faridabad

FHM not reliable

This is with reference to a news report ‘Veena’s nude picture in Indian magazine causes furore’ (December 4). Veena said in an interview with Geo TV that the nude photo was published in violation of her agreement with FHM India. It is my personal experience with FHM India based on which I can say that the magazine is not trustworthy and can stoop to any level with impunity. It is a matter of great shame that an internationally reputed magazine — FHM, India edition — is behaving in an irresponsible manner.

M KUMAR, New Delhi

Be secular

This is with reference to the news-item ‘Controversy over Amritsar DC going on leave ahead of SGPC meet’ (December 4). Amritsar DC Rajat Aggarwal, a non-Sikh, was asked to go on leave because he was considered ‘unfit’ to preside over the newly- elected SGPC. Tarn Taran DC Satwant Singh, a Sikh official, was asked to preside over the meeting. This is contrary to the lofty Sikh traditions which make no distinction on the basis of race, caste and creed. Sikh religion is the finest example of secularism and no one can dilute its secular face. The highly secular traditions set up by our Gurus must be respected by all. The SGPC president should preside over the meeting of the newly-elected committee to put an end to such controversies.

Capt AMAR JEET KUMAR, SAS Nagar