M A I L B A G

Women as bonded labour

We keep harping on women’s empowerment, skewed sex ratio, female foeticide, atrocities on women, rape, dowry deaths etc. However, have we ever been able to do something worthwhile to improve the lot of women?

Most women are like bonded labour throughout their life with no remuneration. Career women, after having worked for their employers the whole day, have to do house keeping. They spend more time in the kitchen, washing clothes, dusting households and looking after their children and husbands.

There is need to make women independent socially and financially. Legislation making them the sole heir of their parents’ property and making husbands stay with their in-laws throughout their lives will help women breathe little easy.

Col KULDIP SINGH GREWAL (retd), Patiala

II

Excerpt from the pages of The Tribune (May 1, 1889) that appeared on June 8, 2005 shook me deeply. I feel ashamed that though our forefathers held women in high esteem, we could not measure up to their expectations. They feared that we would prefer committing suicide than parading ourselves like cattle and horses.

We ourselves are responsible for our plight. Where was the need for us to be tempted by money to exhibit ourselves as objects of desire? Haven’t we showed to the world that we are at par with men?

With much difficulty, human race had evolved and it has proved to be far superior to animals. If a woman provokes a man by revealing her anatomy, won’t it lead us to become animals again?

MINI SAPRA, Ambala City

Arms and the man I read the editorial “Arms and the man” (June 9). The mind-boggling defense spending of US $ 1,035 trillion worldwide, is sickening and shameful for the “man” who, in the words of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, “wants to go to heaven by creating hell on this earth”. Bemoaning and mourning grave realties perpetrated by the so-called ‘human’, the world would look veritably a mass grave even if a small part of the nuclear arsenal is triggered inadvertently or stupidly. Let the world leaders and statesmen create suitable conditions to totally disband and disarm arms race on top priority and create a ‘fear-free world’ for the future generations. A holistic view and global family like village concept should prevail where war is sunk deep in the sea for all times to come. Only then, we the Homo sapiens are entitled to be called human beings. B.M. SINGH, Amritsar

Fight for justice

Jan McGirk’s article “Rape victim refused trip to US” (June 16) shows the boldness of Muslim women like Muktsar Mai who are fighting against injustice. Women like Ms Mai are setting an example for their community to fight for their rights. This woman, who is unmarried and belongs to a low-caste family, was three years ago gang-raped and paraded naked by the village court in Tirga, in Punjab. She shocked Pakistan by taking her case to the courts.

Though the legal decisions appeared to go her way as half a dozen men involved were punished with two of them sentenced to death, the tables turned when the Lahore court refused to extend a 90-day detention order and 12 of them were ordered to be released.

GAGAN RANDHAWA, Ludhiana

Mukerian project

Water eruption at Mukerian hydel project is cause for concern. The technical aspect of the project has been ignored. There was no proper site investigation. If the geophysical investigation had been done earlier, the presence of the confined aquifer would have been confirmed. Conformity test, if required, can be done above the confined aquifer layer level.

The problem has occurred in the Ganga basin. Had this been referred to engineers with experience in that region, solution would have been in sight.

I appeal to the consultants, technocrats and learned engineers to share their knowledge with the PSEB for a national cause. The loss to the PSEB is a loss to the nation. Hence the board should examine alternative suggestions as suggested.

PARAMJIT SINGH, RAGHUVANSHI, Chandigarh

Fashion contests

Fashion shows and beauty contests have become the order of the day. Surprisingly, even educational institutions are not lagging behind in organising such events. Do authorities ever realise the harmful effect of these shows on the students?

A beauty contest was organised for women above 60 years. If this is the trend, will we be able to check our children and grandchildren?

VINOD JAIDKA, Panchkula

Colleges sans jobs

There are too many engineering and medical colleges even though there are no enough jobs. The government’s policy in this regard is not need based. The college managements are earning crores of rupees, destroying the sanctity of the technical profession.

There is no check on the opening of new medical and dental colleges in the country. Any businessman can open a medical/dental college anywhere for making money without any check on quality. The Centre should check mushrooming of engineering, medical and dental colleges to maintain the quality of these professions.

R.P. SINGH, Chandigarh

Custodial deaths

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes has rightly pulled up Punjab over the rising custodial deaths of SCs and crime against SC women (June 2). During the last 11 months, the state witnessed eight cases of custodial deaths. The commission has directed the state to formulate an in-built system to prevent such crimes.

The authorities in civil and police administration must ensure that the police personnel at a police station behave properly. Illegal detention and other irregularities should be stopped. Any official found under the influence of liquor should be immediately suspended. Special cells may be set up to resolve the issues pertaining to SCs/STs.

SUDESH KUMAR SHARMA, Kapurthala