M A I L B A G

Waiver is reward for defaulters

CONSUMERS of Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind and Sonepat districts have not cleared their electricity bills. The practice is continuing for the past five years and more. In order to collect the arrear, the government has decided to waive the surcharge. This decision of the government is not good in the eyes of regular and good bill-payers. It is a cruel joke on them.

The decision of the HVPN government is an award to those who are defaulters and punishment to the law-abiding citizens.

Incentive is for good performers and not defaulters. It is the INLD which instigated the farmers and other consumers not to pay their power bills. The party was in opposition then. Waiving of surcharge and interest is definitely a burden on common man’s shoulders. Indian law is equal for all.

P. N. GUPTA
Panchkula

Perfect knowledge

“A sick system for long in ICU: Five faults of India's Socialism “by Mr Gurcharan Das (June 4) makes interesting and thought provoking reading. It is a warning as well.

To my mind, socialism and capitalism as ideologies for development need social engineering. Socialism has been able to produce regimental societies only because it has been neglecting non-economic factors. The disintegration of the USSR occurred because it fell a victim to the denial of legitimacy to human passion and permanent values of life embedded in words like “bread and liberty”. Similarly, capitalism has been able to produce crazy societies only because they have also neglected non-economic factors. Thus, the need of the hour is social orientation of capitalism based on values, which is really a moral concept and need not be devalued in its economic orientation.

To my mind, we should turn the free market itself into an absolutist value system, which is necessary and sufficient condition for development. I firmly believe that the rate of progress in spiritualism is faster than the rate of progress in materialism. Therefore, there is need to accept spiritually guided materialism as a solution of various problems. To get rid of every ill of Indian society there are vedic pills and Bhagvad Gita is the panacea. This is the perfect knowledge, which needs to be propagated by our leaders anywhere and everywhere for peace, progress and prosperity.

M. M. GOEL
Kurukshetra

Congress in a state of drift

Mr Hari Jaisingh in his Friday column, “Frankly Speaking” (May 26), has brought into sharp focus all that has ailed the Congress over the years. It has been always controlled by sycophants. The party has no place for a Jairam Ramesh, but has enough room for a Vasant Sathe, who would sing hymns of Mrs Sonia Gandhi whom many see as a failed “leader on probation”.

A one-time monolith is in trouble across the country. Chief Minister Sheila Dixit faces rebellion in Delhi. Mr Salman Khurshid is in trouble in UP. Mr P.R. Das Munshi is confused in West Bengal with nearly half the Congress MLAs moving to the Mamata Banerjee camp. Captain Amarinder Singh and Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal are at each others’ throat in Punjab.

The party face decimation in J&K, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi in 1999. It has only a toehold in UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat (371 MPs). It has presence only in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. It has shrunk in Kerala.

From 1985’s 415 it tumbled down to 112 (the lowest ever) in 1999. On the state side, it has come down from 1985’s 1,586 MLAs to 1,145 in 2000. It has lost deposits in all the eight by-elections to the Vidhan Sabha in UP.

The Congress is a sinking ship. There is much to read in the writer’s poser: “Can Mrs Sonia Gandhi deliver the goods? Only time will tell.”

It’s about time the Congress ended the cult of sycophancy, brought in internal party democracy, practised austerity (no wasting lakhs on making Lakshadweep fit for a visit by an army of Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s guests from Italy) and worked for the man on the street on vital matters like poverty, illiteracy, hunger, starvation, death and disease. Wake up, Congressmen. India needs a healthy Opposition, not just a fighting adversary.

S.S. JAIN
Chandigarh

RCC's status

With reference to The Tribune News Service report published on June 3 under the heading "Computer institutes woo students", I wish to state that it is not correct to say that the Regional Computer Centre located here has failed to keep up with the current trends and that it has been left behind the private institutes.

Adding number by granting franchise rights does not speak of the growth of an organisation. It is the quality of education, along with its acceptance by the public, that matters. The RCC has always maintained the right pace with the swiftly evolving environment and rapidly growing technological advancement in the application of information technology.

The standard, the methodology, the quality of education, the experienced professionals and the governing body of this centre have contributed firmly to the decision of not granting franchise rights.

The rate of the placement of our passed out PGDCA/A/B-level students is much higher than that of other institutions.

The RCC has the pride of being an exclusive institution in the region, having accreditation for conducting B- level (equivalent to MCA) and C- level (equivalent to M.Tech in computer software) courses. It has the latest computer systems, facilities of LAN, the client server, the Internet and the RFL.

It follows the principle of one-machine one-student and provides theoretical and practical knowledge regularly.

The fee, when worked out per hour, is lower than that charged by other institutes in respect of each course or module.

The RCC's library on information technology is the richest in the area. It is worth repeating that to maintain its credibility and standard of education, it has not granted franchise rights. Its other achievements are there for anybody to see.

T.N. MISRA
Director, RCC
Chandigarh

Spurious drugs

Dr RABINDER SINGH BATRA
Khanna

Rohtang tunnel

Apropos of the editorial “Tunnel is essential” (June 6), though a very useful project, the construction of the Rohtang tunnel will take many years.

What is more urgently required are underground emergency shelters well equipped with fuel, food, medical aid and blankets along with underground telephone booths, for those who are stranded in high mountains due to road blocks caused by land slides, heavy snowfall and cloud bursts. The checkpost of Marhi en route to Rohtang Pass, is ineffective. Will the Himachal Pradesh government look into this requirement?

ROSHNI JOHAR
Shimla