M A I L B A G

Free power to farmers a blunder

This has reference to the editorial “Hooda’s blunder” (June 20). It seems that our politicians are living in a world of their own. They do not have the vision and time to understand what ails the country today.

We are a power-starved nation, but instead of generating enough power to meet the ever-growing demand, our government provides free power to farmers. The Hooda Government has not learnt from the experience of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal whose government lost despite providing free power to the farmers for five consecutive years.

Today people are ready to pay for the services. Even farmers have the capacity to pay for power. All they need is uninterrupted power supply. Free power to farmers annoys other sections as they have to bear the extra cost of such short-sighted political moves. The ruling party should pay for the losses incurred to the state exchequer.

ARVIND DHUMAL, Jalandhar

II

The Haryana Government has rightly waived the power arrears to the tune of Rs 16,00 crore of the farmers. In this context, it is said that Chief Minister Hooda himself is a farmer and so are most of his ministers and legislators, present and past. It would be interesting to know how many of them are the real beneficiaries of the bonanza. And how many of them were themselves defaulters? Details can be obtained either by an audit authority or through an Assembly question.

K.L. ARORA, Chandigarh

III

While the Haryana government has waived the power bills of the farmers, a common man has to stand for hours to pay his electricity bill at the HVPN office. An employee has to take leave and a shopkeeper has to shut his shop to pay the bill. I suggest the government to help electricity consumers deposit their bills in banks, post offices etc.

NAVNEET SETHI, Kurukshetra

Making people literate The Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) aims at cent per cent enrolment, retention and quality education of all the children up to 14 years of age. To achieve the goals, millions of rupees are being spent on teachers, seminars, school buildings and other infrastructure related to teaching aids. Despite the great need for training and motivation, most teachers attend the seminars reluctantly. As for the buildings, rooms in government schools outnumber the students due to the faulty education policy of the Haryana Government. Young boys and girls who collect polythene covers and plastics from the garbage should be provided food, health and education. The SSA’s purpose will be defeated if their interest ignored. It is the responsibility of a welfare state to take care of the deprived people and make them literate. KARAN SINGH BAWWA, Rewari

Railway enquiry

The Railway enquiry system at Ludhiana station is going from bad to worse. What else explains its poor functioning? The other day I repeatedly tried to enquire the position of a train, but there was no response. Later, I was told that the problem was because of staff shortage.

Ludhiana station needs three persons — one for counter enquiry, another for attending to phone calls and another for miscellaneous work. I am afraid, the control staff at Ambala are passing on wrong information about the movement of some trains to Ludhiana. This is indeed bad.

SHER SINGH, Ludhiana

Long power cuts

The power situation in Phase 10, Mohali, is really grim. We have no electricity for about 10 hours daily. Inverters do not seem to be of much help and we are unable to have sufficient sleep in the night. Who will give us, the victims of gross negligence, some respite?

ANKUR BHATIA, Mohali

CM’s Dixie visit

This refers to the editorial “Captain’s faux pas” (June 24). It is really sad to condemn Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh because he decided to pay obeisance at Dixie Road Gurdwara (largest in North America) following the suggestion of his host Punjabi community. How mistaken can these people in the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP be to score some political points by raising this issue to merely defame Captain Amarinder Singh, a true and devoted Sikh?

Who cares whether the policy of the management of a Gurdwara is pro-Khalistan or not? People go to pay obeisance at the Gurdwaras to bow before Sri Guru Granth Sahib with humility and listen to kirtan and other related religious programmes and not listen to any political speech by members of the management.

NACHHATTER SINGH BRAR, Dayton, Ohio (USA)

II

It is a common practice that during a VVIP’s visit abroad, he and his countrymen settled there desire to meet each other. So did Captain Amarinder Singh. A VVIP has no time to see minor things that are written on the walls. The Opposition and the media should not make an issue to blame the Punjab Chief Minister when he is actually innocent.

Col BEANT SINGH, Jalandhar Cantt

Teachers’ plight

For the last three years, the Punjab government has not recruited a single B. Ed teacher. Many trained teachers are in a state of depression. The government’s attitude is appalling. It only spends money on bureaucrats and politicians and not on schools and teachers.

The Education Department is the most mismanaged department. We insiders know how many teachers are surplus in the cities. Though many vacancies of B.Ed teachers are lying vacant in rural schools, the government is not making any effort to fill up them. Strangely, politicians are opening more and more B.Ed colleges to make money without bothering about the need to recruit trained teachers.

GURMEET SINGH, Batala