Opening closed doors

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has asked for a direct train between Jammu and Chandigarh (news report ‘Azad for Chandigarh-Jammu train’, February 1). Apart from patients from J&K, many other categories of passengers who face serious difficulties in transportation, will get much-needed relief as a result of the proposed train.  Among them are a large number of service personnel and members of police forces deployed in J&K who belong to neighbouring states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and travel on this route very frequently. It will also open a window to Kashmiris to see the outside world and vice-versa.

LS CHATTHA, Mohali

Public debate

The BJP has Rajnath Singh as the new president; Congress, on the other hand, has put the mantle of leading the party on their newly-appointed vice-president Rahul Gandhi. That being so, these two leaders must face each other at public debates on TV to show their grit, put forth their agendas and delve on how they plan to execute their plans of leading the nation. The country needs answers from the leaders of the two leading parties, the Congress and the BJP. The countrymen will ultimately decide whether or not they have performed well being in power and in opposition.

Prof CK SARDANA, Bhopal

Give us jobs

Manifestos of all political parties assure of more industries, better jobs and enhanced standard of living for the youth. But the current scenario appears bleak. Recently, the Punjab Government passed a new law for steel industries, the E-Bill system.

Under this law, steel industries cannot sell or purchase without an E-Bill. This E-Bill has decreased the profit margin of industries. After a long period of strike, the industries decided they will move to Gujarat. 

Here a situation has arisen where private colleges giving technical education are more and industries less. The current scenario does not speak of development at all, when over 40,000 aspiring engineers have had to leave their home state for jobs.

KARTIK NIJHAWAN, Khanna

Legal hurdles

The Indian legal system is fraught with a number of problems like huge pendency, shortage of judges, tottering system of policing, paucity of good police investigators, an army of lawyers without a fee regulatory system, corruption and a whole lot of other unhealthy practices.

Just pay a visit to a court anywhere in India. See the lawyers bargaining with the litigants and the petition writers charging for petty services and the way ‘babus’ behave with the poor people visiting the courts. Cast a cursory look at the state of sanitation. Try getting a document typed, verified and signed. By the time you will come out of the court, for sure, you may have an empty pocket and aching heels.

RJ KHURANA, Bhopal

Equality before God

It is not understandable how playing music by three drum majorettes can harm Islam, a religion followed by billions of people the world over (editorial ‘Feminine aspirations’, February 4). Are women not the creation of the same God as men? If the answer is yes, why cannot the former have the same freedom and the right to publicly display their talents and skills as the latter? Do men want women only to dance to their tunes within the four walls of the house and not show their worth in other walks of life?

SATWANT KAUR, Mahilpur

Surprise checks

Irrespective of the change in government, the common man continues to reel under bureaucratic delays and indifference of the powers that be (news report ‘Virbhadra for speedy Redressal of public grievances’, January 30). Periodic surprise checks by departmental offices at the district\sub-divisional\ block\tehsil levels followed by stern action against the erring officials could serve as checks and balances in the system.

TARA CHAND, Ambota (Una)