M A I L B A G

Undue emphasis on Ph.D.

AS per the current guidelines of the UGC (in the light of the new pay-structure for college teachers), the Haryana State Higher Education Department has lately issued a directive that only a Ph.D holder will be eligible for the post of Principal in a non-government recognised college. Such a decision is totally arbitrary, discriminatory and mala fide.

In government colleges, the Haryana Government appoints principals by way of promotion on the basis of seniority, and the majority of principals in government colleges are non-Ph.Ds. So why this stepmotherly treatment to the lecturers of non-government colleges who have more than 25 years of teaching experience and are keen (but made ineligible) to become college principals at the fag end of their career?

In the 1970s Dr S.N. Sen, who headed the UGC committee for the new pay scales for the college and university teachers, had expressed the hope that the teaching profession would attract in its ranks bright young people who were otherwise being tempted away into administrative and business careers. The requirement of a doctoral degree might discourage the people whom Dr Sen was hoping to hire into the ranks of the faculty. And even if they were all keen, how many Ph.Ds should the universities produce every year to meet the new demand?

ANIL BHATIA
Hisar

Zebra crossings

Judicial intervention in the day-to-day activities of the government has proved to be a blessing for our society over the past few years. Clogged wheels of the babu-driven government machinery push-starts every few months through courts’ intervention. The need for repeated judicial reminders for the same task, however, shows that work is done merely as a face-saving exercise to avoid being hauled or for fear of contempt of court. There is no realisation that the work actually needs to be done in the normal course, not as a temporary “quick fix” solution to long-pending problems.

One glaring example of this is the repeated painting of zebra crossings at various road crossings on the instance of courts every few weeks. It is an exercise in futility, for no sooner is the white paint sprayed on the roads to make the zebra crossings at an enormous cost in terms of time, money and man-hours than it begins to fade away. A permanent solution to this problem is required in the form of different/diverse materials used to mark the zebra crossings.

A mixture of small white stones/pebbles and white marble chips embedded in white cement, with possibly the addition of some luminous pigment can be cast in the form of slabs into the roads to form the zebra crossings. These will last the whole lifetime of the road, without warranting the need for frequent and repeated redoing.

Not only this, such zebra crossings will afford better traction to the pedestrian crossing the road on them without the risk of skidding/slipping; afterall, pedestrians are always in a tearing hurry to get across the road before lights change colour! At the same time, being luminous, such zebra crossings will be better visible from a distance, even in low light conditions at night.

In fact, I will suggest that such material may also be used to highlight speedbreakers, which, too, require frequent treatment of similar nature. In addition, cats’ eyes may also be additionally embedded into the zebra crossings and the speedbreakers to make them unmistakably visible in the dark.

VIVEK KHANNA
Panchkula

HUDA bylaws

A lot has been written on the subject of violation of the HUDA bylaws and education rules in allowing a school being run in a residential building opposite the main hospital of Panchkula, with the authorities refusing to take any action. The least the authorities can do is to construct three speed-breakers, one each on both sides of and near the entry to the school and the third on the road coming from the hospital side to prevent serious and fatal accidents.

Recently, two serious accidents were averted. Children were playing with a big ball on the road, outside the school when, to avoid and save the children, motorists were going to collide.

REKHA MEHRA
Panchkula

Question of new century

In a few days it will be a year after the world ushered in the 21st century and the 3rd millennium with great fanfare. In England they even made a millennium dome to perpetuate the occasion.

One, however, fails to understand how a new century and a millennium can start when the previous ones have not ended. One hundred years of the 20th century and one thousand years of the second millennium are yet to be completed on the midnight of December 31, 2000.

It is simple arithmetic, as I see it. In cricket one doesn't make a century after 99 runs. Therefore, the new era should actually commence on January 1, 2001. Is there anyone who agrees with me?

JASPAL SINGH DHALIWAL
Panchkula

For peace in subcontinent

This is with reference to the write-up of Mrs Humra Quraishi (Nov 19) on Mr I.K. Gujral. Mr Gujral is right when he suggests that we should have more talks with Pakistan so that there may be peace in this subcontinent.

The partition of this country in 1947 was wrong, but now this event is a fact, and there's no chance of reunion because both countries are always at daggers drawn. There is a continuing proxy war in Kashmir. We should learn a lesson from the history of the past half a century.

DALIP SINGH WASAN
Patiala

Prohibition in Uttaranchal

The statement by the Chief Minister of Uttaranchal regarding a ban on the use of liquor in the state is a welcome step.

It will not be wrong to say that smoking is more harmful to human beings than liquor — not only to smokers but also to near and dear ones. These days remedial measures to save the public from the ill effects of tobacco are being discussed not only at the national level but at the international level.

It will be commendable if the Chief Minister considers a ban on smoking as his first priority.

H. S. AULAKH
Chandigarh