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THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
M A I L B A G

How Rajasthan can help Punjab

Rajasthan gets more than 50 per cent water from the Sutlej via different canals though it does not lie in the natural watershed. This is because there is scarcity of water and it needs water much more than Punjab and Haryana. Water from the Indira Gandhi Canal has made a great part of that state fertile and prosperous. But Rajasthan does not compensate Punjab in any manner.

It is time Rajasthan reciprocated in kind. It is abundant in many resources like stone and gypsum, badly needed in Punjab. Punjab wants stone for building roads. It purchases stone and pays additional taxes to Rajasthan government. Similarly, Rajasthan’s gypsum will help reduce the alkalinity of Punjab’s soil. Rajasthan should pay for the water it gets from Punjab, or it should share other’s natural resources as well.

Dr BALDEV SINGH, Maniana (Sangrur)



Dear readers

Letters to the Editor, neatly hand-written or typed, upto 150 words, should be sent to the Letters Editor, The Tribune, Sector 29 C, Chandigarh. Letters can also be emailed at the following address: letters@tribunemail.com

— Editor-in-Chief
 

Alternative to nuclear energy

The Punjab government should not plan a nuclear power plant in Punjab. The state economy is mainly agrarian. Managing nuclear waste will be a big problem in the agricultural land. Punjab is a border state and is also vulnerable to Pakistani attack. Punjab also comes under a highly seismic zone.

Instead, Punjab should think of developing alternative means of power generation. Solar energy is the best option as this is in harmony with the conditions and requirements of the state. Also, there is some untapped potential of hydroelectricity in Punjab.

The Shahpur Kandi project of Ranjit Sager Dam and other such minor projects can generate good amount of electricity. Better management and reduction in transmission losses will help Punjab become self-reliant in power.

RAKESH SHARMA, Pathankot

Follow guidelines

I refer to the editorial “Touching 9000, equities are in demand” (Nov 30). The BSE index showed a northward trend as it crossed the psychological barrier of 9000 mark.

This would certainly bring a big smile on the face of many retail investors. However, this trend sends another signal to the common investors. They must be discreet in their investment options as the decoding of sensex is beyond their understanding.

At this critical point, the retail investor must abstain from stock market rhetoricians. Besides keeping an eye on the index, the investor must heed the investment-related guidelines issued by SEBI, the watchdog agency.

KAPIL MOHAN GAUTAM, Advocate, Shimla

Momentous occasion

The golden palanquin carrying Guru Granth Sahib was given the guard of honour in India and Pakistan. The decked up vehicle covered the distance of 100 km, with 5-km-long caravan led by “Panj Pyaras”.

With the fluttering of flags on both sides, the Wagah border reverberated with the slogan “Bole So Nihal”. The historic moment rejuvenated the religious spirit and instilled a feeling of togetherness in every heart that witnessed the event.

GITANJALI BHATIA, Panchkula

Of ducks and geese

Yes absolutely,

ducks and geese

belong to the family Anatidae.

Much the same as also do

swans and mergensers.

And this is not all;

another fourteen genus

makes up the family group 

Anatidae.

It is searesly appropriate,

to call

a goose a duck,

nor a swan a mergenser.

Oh yes, all Anatidae

share a common habitat,

of water, marsh and squealch.

But not the same food.

Though ducks generally be omnivorous,

some of the species imbibe more

of aquatic insects and small fry.

Some even relish carrion,

others more of shoots, weeds and tubers.

However, the good-looking mergensers

feed chiefly on fish.

But the geese,

be they itinerents from Central Asia

or residents of the Sukhna,

they be vegetarians alone.

TopLieut-Gen BALJIT SINGH (retd), Chandigarh
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