The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Saturday, July 13, 2002, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I L B A G

Punjab, UT exploiting teachers

IT is disheartening to learn that the Punjab Government and the Chandigarh Administration have employed B.Ed teachers on a contract basis on a salary of Rs 2,200 per month whereas the central government has fixed minimum wages of Rs 2500 per month for a labourer. Thus both governments are exploiting the teachers, who are helpless and hapless to accept such humiliation meted out to them due to the financial crisis created by the previous SAD-BJP government.

Everybody is all praise for the crusade against corruption by Capt Amarinder Singh, but this is not the end of the road. I suggest to the Chief Minister not to follow the policies/strategies of the NDA govt at the Centre. To put the derailed economy back on the rails, he should stop free power supply to farmers and plug leakages of sales tax.

There is no need to implement harsh measures like abolition of posts, freezing of DA and other unpopular measures taken by the central government, like reduction of interest rate on small savings, imposing tax on the poor man’s items instead of taxing luxury goods and thus avoid earning the wrath of frustrated unemployed youth as well as the middle class and lower strata of society.

Concrete steps should be taken to create employment opportunities rather than creating unemployment by cutting down number of posts. Lift the ban imposed on fresh recruitments in Punjab. The youth are the power of the nation and frustrated youth can go to any extent.

K.L. SETHI, Chandigarh

Welcome, Punjab style

“Welcome to Punjab” reads a signboard as one crosses the barrier to enter Zirakpur from Panchkula on the Shimla-Ambala highway. The road gets bad, made worse by trucks, wrongly parked or carrying construction material. They can turn any way, any time without a warning. Maximum accidents happen on this patch.

The unusually high speed-breaker at the railway crossing, a good example of bad PWD work, brings traffic to a near halt and vehicles queue up. But worse is ahead.

The bridge over a choe before Zirakpur is so full of potholes that it could collapse any time. And it is so narrow that it takes almost an hour during the peak time to cross it. Long queues are visible, but no traffic policeman.

As one leaves Zirakpur behind, one feels relieved to say goodbye to Punjab. What kind of impression does Punjab give to tourists going to or coming from Shimla?

S.S. GILL, Delhi

Operation cover-up

Hats off to Mr Hari Jaisingh for his another bold editorial on operation cover-up (June 29). I have the following observations to make.

As of today, one can escape from the eyes of the police, vigilance, judiciary etc., but it is indeed very difficult to escape from the eyes of The Tribune.

Involvement of judges in the PPSC scam is the darkest page in the history of the scam. As Bible says: “If salt loseth its flavour, with what shall it be salted then?”

One expected a captain’s knock from Captain Amarinder Singh, but events have started revealing that he is on a sticky wicket.

The judiciary constitutes the external conscience. When it too becomes guilty, what is left there to guide and grow society?

K.J.S. AHLUWALIA, Amritsar

Bureaucracy’s role: The editorial, highlighting the shake-up in the Intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police, will have far-reaching effects. The shifting of four most competent and upright officers of the I.W., surely at the behest of a cotorie of bureaucrats at this crucial stage of the scam may mark the beginning of the end of Capt Amarinder Singh’s Chief Ministership. This sole action of the Chief Minister has brought his political credibility down by several notches. He should know that his political opponents are waiting in the wings to dislodge his government.

The transfers clearly indicate the unbridled powers of the Steel Frame which has ruined the country since Independence. The dominance of the bureaucracy over politicians is well known, as was clear from quarrels/differences of opinion between T.T. Krishnamachari and his Principal Secretary Finance H.M. Patel during 1957: G.L. Nanda and his Home Secretary L.P. Singh during 1966: K. Hanumanthaiya and his Chairman of Railway Board Banking Chander Ganguli during 1971 and the Punjab Revenue Minister Jivan Singh Umranangal and his Financial Commissioner R.S. Talwar. Why is Capt. Amarinder Singh endorsing the wrong, biased, untimely advice of his trusted bureaucrats?

H.S. RANDHAWA, Chandigarh

Hopes shattered: Congratulations for uncovering the deeds of the unfaithful distrustful people in the judiciary. As we all know, not one, but almost all people in power are going corrupt. Judiciary was the last hope of the people of our country but with the unmasking of this, all hopes of the citizens have been shattered.

MEGHA VASHISHT, Jalandhar

Speculative report

The news item “Is S.S. Johl to be Pbi varsity VC?” (July 10) is purely speculative. To say that”... it has been proposed that Dr Sardara Singh Johl... could be persuaded to take over the reins of the university at least for a year” does not make any sense at all. Since the search committee has not submitted its recommendations to the CM as yet, who has made the proposal? Why should Dr Johl take over as VC for a year? I wonder what function such speculation has for your paper or for the public at large, except that Punjabi varsity teachers and employees will stop working and start vivisecting the news item till another one appears in The Tribune or elsewhere.

H.S. SIDHU, Patiala

Colonies at Kapurthala

Your correspondent has reported that work in Karolbagh Colony at Kapurthala has been stopped (June 29). If someone puts up even a 10-brick structure over my land, I will stand up and stop him, and go to the police, if need be. And here are a Deputy Commissioner and a Planning Officer who have to be told that colonies have come up in their jurisdiction!

It is these functionaries who are to blame, not the residents who have paid the cost of the land, even executed deeds in the offices of the sub-divisional officers after paying registration fees. Surely, their houses are not illegal, especially because the planning officers themselves have issued NOCs.

Your correspondent is doing a good job by way of sustained efforts to expose the nexus between colonisers and the authorities concerned. The culprits are now being asked to sit in judgement.

L.R. SHARMA, Solan

Fake universities

The UGC has provided a list of 18 fake universities. However, to protect the interests of students, the UGC needs to do more. Fake universities should not be allowed to use the words university, “vishawvidalya” or “vidyapeeth” with their names.

Secondly, such institutions should be instructed to mention conspicuously in their advertisements that the institution is not a university or a deemed university recognised by the UGC. Thirdly, stringent action should be taken against those running fake universities. To handle this, the UGC should have a separate cell.

Dr G.S. BHALLA, Amritsar

Support for Bhatnagar

Kudos to Mr A.P. Bhatnagar, ADGP, for showing spine and speaking truth about the government working. This officer needs’ full public support and should not be left alone to fend for himself. The politicians should not be allowed to bulldoze the drive against corruption selectively.

Dr RANBIR SINGH PANNU, Amritsar

Professional courses

I hail the efforts of the UGC and universities for reviving the virtually dead BA degree by introducing career-oriented vocational subjects like mass communication & video production, still photography & audio production, gemology & jewellery design, travel & tourism management, fashion design etc.

UMESH KALIA, Amritsar