Caring for animals

THIS is with reference to the write-up “Where are the animal lovers?”, published on January 22.

We would like to point out certain misleading statements. It has been stated that our organisation, People for Animals, did not respond to the call of a sick cow and a calf in Sector 16, Chandigarh. This is a wrong statement. We received a call in the morning from Sector 16 about a cow and a calf lying behind a house. As the ambulance was away, it was conveyed to the caller that it would be sent soon. Within 30 - 45 minutes our ambulance was sent.

The cow and the calf were found standing behind the address given. The lady caller mentioned that the cow should be removed from there. However, as the helper approached the cow, she charged towards him. There was no danger to the cow or the calf. Pigs (as mentioned in the report) were only trying to eat the discharge (from the cow) lying on the ground, which is normal as every cow goes through this experience during delivery. It was thus stated that some gur be given to the animal, and if there was any problem, they should give us a call. The cow and the calf were just standing; they were not injured or wounded.

We did not receive any call after that.

It is indeed very surprising that the journalist has mentioned the name of our organisation without even bothering to confirm or check with us. In fact, it is very ironical that The Tribune has highlighted the condition of one cow in Sector 16 when there are so many lying on the roads after being hit by cars, or because of some injury or ailment in other areas of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali.

People for animals is the only organisation in this region which helps hapless animals from not only Chandigarh but also from Panchkula and Mohali; sometimes even from Pinjore, Zirakpur, Mansa Devi and the adjoining areas.

PAYAL SODHI
Chandigarh

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Teacherless schools

It is surprising to learn of “Teacherless schools” “From here & there’, (January 16). It is for the first time that as many as five primary schools in Bishnupur - I block of West Bengal are without even a single teacher. In some schools locks are hanging on the doors, while in others children are playing outside during class hours. In one school there has been no teacher since the last one retired, a year and a half ago.

In such a pitiable state of affairs the Ministry of Human Resource Development should step in and pull up the ears of the erring states and ensure that the schools are run properly with a full staff, and do not exist in the name only.

V.K. KOHLI
Kurukshetra

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A greeting problem

Mr J.L. Gupta, in his middle piece “Greetings and gratitude” (January 9), resents the fact that a large number of people spend a substantial amount of time in writing and sending the greeting cards. Finally, he laments the cards cause a glut in all the post-offices. “We place a heavy and avoidable burden on the entire postal staff mostly at the cost of other work”, he adds.

Later in the same piece, the writer opines that simple handwritten letters can serve the purpose of greeting cards.

Well, I don’t understand how the practice of sending handwritten letters will solve the problems mentioned by the writer. Actually, a person will have to spend more time on writing a letter than what he spends on sending a printed greeting card. Moreover, will handwritten letters, just like the greeting cards, not create a glut in the post-offices and thereby put a heavy burden on the postal staff?

SURENDRA MIGLANI
Kaithal

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Election of office-bearers

After the conclusion of the workshop of Congress delegates at Palampur the other day, Mr R.K. Dhawan, General Secretary, All-India Congress Committee, is reported to have stated that there was a "consensus" among the participants that the elected office-bearers must be given more importance than the nominated ones. Pertinently enough, the participants in the workshop, by and large, were "elected" office-bearers of the party.

Well, I find it extremely hard to swallow the "consensus" on the subject. To my mind, an office-bearer is an office-bearer, whether elected or nominated by the competent authority. The incumbent has to shoulder full responsibilities of the office and must, therefore, enjoy full powers failing which it would be futile to expect him/her to deliver the goods.

More importantly, the way the organisational elections were held last time puts a big question mark on the legitimacy of the so-called "elected office-bearers". It was a farcical exercise, bluntly speaking. At my polling booth, for example, a ghost primary member was enrolled not only as an active Congress worker but also "elected" as a party delegate to represent the booth. Under the circumstances, where is the moral justification for the "elected office-bearers" to enjoy precedence over the nominated ones, pray?

The following doggerel (with due apologies to Ghalib) sounds exceeding pertinent:

Dil ke behlane ko yaaro yeh khyal accha hai.

TARA CHAND
Ambota (Una)

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Unending wait

Quite a lot has been written on the subject of old and senior citizens, particularly about the non-pensioner employees of many institutions. But nothing has been done to help them in the evening of their life. One glaring example is that of Panjab University's retired employees. The central government had agreed to give them pension and notification to this effect was issued, and options asked for. But the scheme was never implemented.

At least this year—the Year of the Old— the government may give categorical instructions to the university to straight away release the pension to the retired employees. This should not be a major problem for the government.

KAMALJIT KAUR
Chandigarh