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M A I L B A G

CM loots while Governor looks the other way

This has reference to your editorial “Chautala & Sons Private Ltd” (May 6). I wish it was titled “Chautala & Sons Loot Co. Ltd”.

It is a shame that a Chief Minister, who took the oath to serve and protect the people of his state with honesty, commitment and dedication, would rather loot them with his both hands. It is so sickening that the whole bureaucracy and the administration connived with him and danced to his tune.

He and his cronies continued looting the state for six years and there was no one to stop them. This raises the question about the role of the state Governor, whose only job was to keep an eye on what Mr Chautala was up to? Was he sick or on vacation during the whole period? All this makes one thing very clear: Indian democracy is outdated. It is making things very hard for those who need it.

SUBASH C. CHAUDHARY, Moutbatten Court, Indianapolis, USA

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

Poor teaching in HP schools

A nation-wide survey conducted by the NCERT has placed Himachal Pradesh in the lowest bracket after Bihar in terms of the quality of education imparted. All self-praise by the government now gets nullified.

Also, the enrolment in government schools is decreasing over the years. More and more parents prefer to send their wards to private schools instead of government schools. This means that the people are finding the quality of education in private schools better than the schools.

It is often said that the government schools have qualified and highly paid staff and other facilities to ensure quality education. No doubt, government schools have better facilities than the private schools and also its staff members are highly paid, but I doubt that the teachers are highly qualified in government schools as compared to those in private schools.

The recruitment policy for teachers in government schools is very defective. There is no bar of minimum marks to become a teacher in a government school. Also the government has to recruit teachers keeping in view the reservation policy. Ex-servicemen are appointed teachers even without screening their knowledge, whereas private school owners are very choosy in the appointment of teachers and they never compromise with merit.

When such a rotten system is there for government schools what kind of work culture, commitment and discipline can be expected from the teachers? This system can still be rectified if the government makes fair recruitment and promotion rules for all categories of teachers and does not favour one category or the other.

VIKRAM VASHISHT, Samkiri (Hamirpur)

For polite police

I read the report “400 Punjab cops for crash course in traffic control” (May 18) with interest. No doubt, the police has the stamina and the capability to deal with any kind of situation. The practical training provided to the force to deal with traffic violators is of paramount importance.

To remain cool, cordial and courtiest but determined is a very good human act to perform one’s duty honestly and at the same time keep the offender/violator in a humorous mood.

There is no harm if the policeman wishes a happy journey after the issue of a challan as per the practice in a few foreign countries.

Implementation of new ideas by the SSP, Mohali, is bound to boost the morale of the force and win the confidence of the public.Other district police chiefs should follow suit to change the overall image of the police in the state.

B S POONI, Mohali

Sick health scheme

This has reference to a letter by Maj-Gen Himmat Singh Gill (retd) carried in The Tribune recently. Much has been published in the leading newspapers and magazines and highlighted at ex-servicemen’s rallies for the welfare of retired defence personnel. The writer has brought out true and glaring examples of the scheme which has many lacunae and requires immediate attention at the top level.

The old illiterate veterans who need medical aid report to a military hospital for treatment. If their cases require specialised treatment, they should be referred to empanelled hospitals from the ECHS clinics. At present, it is the ECHS clinic-MH-ECHS-empanelled hospital which gives a lot of problems to the veterans.

When this scheme was introduced, we the seniors were asked to motivate ex-servicemen to become members of the ECHS. Accordingly, we took the initiative and became members before March 31, 2004, and have paid more subscription even though pension was less at that time. The orders for less subscription have come for those who paid on or after April 1, 2004, and their excess amount, if any, is being refunded.

So, what is the justification for this scheme. Is it to penalise those ex-servicemen who took the lead to become members first. Ex-servicemen are running from pillar to post for the refund of their medical bills but to no avail.

There is need to rectify the drawbacks in the scheme at the earliest.

Hony Capt PURAN SINGH CHIB, Chottepur (Gurdaspur)

Pensioners’ grouse

The Punjab Government pensioners complain that old age allowance at 80 years is allowed to only MLA-pensioners. However, this small benefit is denied to the ordinary pensioners despite the Third Pay Commission’s recommendation made 18 years ago. It has negligible financial implications as hardly about 5 per cent pensioners survive after 80. Pre-April 2004 retirees want travel concession after merging 50 per cent DA in their basic pension as it has been done in the case of post-April 2004 retirees.

Pensioners complain that a fixed medical allowance of Rs 250 per month being paid to them for the past more than eight years is inadequate to meet the ever-increasing medicare cost. A raise in the allowance is overdue.

YASH PAL GHAI, General Secretary, Punjab Government Pensioners’ Association, Ludhiana

Achievement ignored

I was the first person in India to have won not one but two bronze medals in the international competition for Commonwealth fencing championship (2006). This was the first time in the history of Indian fencing that anybody had been able to bring this honour to India. Nobody took notice of this because I had possibly nobody to recommend my case.

RUCHI TRIKHA, Patiala