M A I L B A G

Teach acts of bravery to children

The winter months of October and November are important in the military history of post-Independence India. The raids of the Pakistani army in the garb of tribals took place in October 1947; the India-China war of 1962 was also fought in October and November. Near about these months, the 1965 and 1971 wars were also fought.

In the India-China war of 1962, two battles, one fought by Subedar Joginder Singh in NEFA and the other by Major Shaitan Singh in Chushul in 1962 were epoch-making ones.

Such acts of bravery should be taught to young children in schools to make them aware of the brave deeds of Indian soldiers. I have read that the Battle of Saragarhi is taught in schools in France, and each one of 21 soldiers was awarded with the Victoria Cross; the British Parliament gave a standing ovation to them.

The Battles of Rezang La and Tawang fought by Subedar Joginder Singh and Major Shaitan Singh also come in the same class. These battles and such others fought by Abdul Hamid and Albert Akka need to be retold to the younger generation to prepare them for future battles.

RAJINDER SONDH, Chandigarh

SURJEET SINGH, Mohali

Time to introduce direct buses The Haryana government should introduce direct buses from Panchkula to Faridabad or Gurgaon in the National Capital Region. At present, there is no direct bus for these places from the Panchkula bus stand. This will particularly help senior citizens and women. Panchkula is a fast developing town and a number of government offices, boards and corporations are functioning from here. The government should run three or four buses for these areas, if necessary, by diverting a few buses from Chandigarh via Panchkula to mitigate the sufferings of the elderly and women. R. C. NARANG, Panchkula

Enforcing RTI

The Right to information Act is a boon for the people. It can go a long way in resolving the problems of the people arising from the unhelpful attitude of the government at various levels. Even a cursory assessment of the functioning of government offices will indicate inefficiency on the part of the officials, lack of interaction between the officials and the people, and the cumbersome paper work.

If the RTI Act is enforced in letter and spirit, the performance in government offices is likely to improve. There is need for spreading awareness of the Act among the general public. They should know the steps involved in the exercise in a simple language.

Dr R.K. SHARMA, Faridabad

Check beggary

Beggars have become a huge menace everywhere — streets, railway stations, religious sites, shopping avenues and crowded market places. This has become an organised business for them. NGOs will have to take care of their grooming and education to check beggary.

SHASHANK AGGARWAL, Panchkula

Bane of Art 356

Kuldip Nayar’s article on the menace of Article 356 was timely. This Article has weakened the federal structure. Many states including Punjab have been victims of this. There is a conspiracy of silence on the part of the powers that be on this thorny issue. 
The present view that the Constitution be amended is to hoodwink the gullible public. Experience suggests that individual instruments have been honoured or denigrated. But factors and actions which have caused these events have been willy nilly used in governance.

Lt-Col CHANAN SINGH DHILLON (retd), Ludhiana

Give medicines early

Thousands of patients from far off places visit the ECHS hospital at Ludhiana. However, medicines are issued only on the 8th and 9th of every month. As a result, ex-servicemen and their families find it very difficult to collect the medicines. This problem should be sorted out immediately by the authorities concerned in the interest of the visiting patients.

K. K. GUPTA, Ludhiana

In memoriam

In Daljit Singh Pannun’s demise, Punjab has lost a multi-faceted personality who excelled in every field he adopted. He was an eminent diplomat, educationist, journalist, writer, orator and a friend of friends. The President of Ghanna (where Pannun was India’s High Commissioner) having met Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao under a tree is still fresh in memory.

If Swaran Singh made a mark as a fine Sikh Foreign Minister, Pannun will be remembered for his good diplomatic assignment.

K. J. S. AHLUWALIA, Amritsar