L E T T E R S    T O    T H E    E D I T O R

Elite services must disclose assets

The Punjab State Information Commission’s order requiring IPS officers serving in the state to furnish a statement of their assets to anyone seeking such information under the Right to Information Act is indeed a welcome move (editorial, “Disclosure of assets: Elite services must be accountable”, Sept 24). While the IPS officers must disclose their assets, surely a similar order for the IAS officers should also be issued immediately.

It is shocking that there are 25 IAS officers and 10 IPS officers against whom criminal cases, vigilance enquiries and departmental proceedings are still pending. It is a shame that these officers have been given plum postings instead of being punished for their misdeeds. The editorial has rightly argued that these officers know the loopholes in the system and cleverly escape punishment. The “systemic shield the IAS and IPS officers have raised for themselves” to escape punitive action should now be broken with the implementation of the RTI Act.

It is time unscrupulous officers are identified and brought to justice. The sooner this job is done the better it is.

R K KAPOOR, Chandigarh

Mayawati’s statues

It is a matter of great satisfaction that the Supreme Court has cleared the decks for an enquiry (editorial, “Splurging on memorials: Mayawati must be called to account”, Sept 19) into the constitutional propriety of the Uttar Pradesh government expending Rs 2,600 crore of public money on building memorials and statues.

Ms Mayawati, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, considers herself above the law of land. She should have used the money for the benefit of the needy and the poor.

SUBHASH C TANEJA, Rohtak

Allow twittering

Everyone has the right of expression. If a high profile minister like Shashi Tharoor’s expression can be censured, one wonders as to what freedom can a common man enjoy.

India needs devoted politicians, not sanctimonious people. Free flow of thoughts is imperative for the growth of any country. So, if we want India to flourish, we should allow Mr Tharoor to twitter.

REETI GUPTA, Rohtak

Economy travel

Ramamohan Rao’s article “Fernandes was real economy traveller”(Sept 16) was an eye-opener. In fact, Mr Fernandes is the only Defence Minister who paid regular visits to Siachen glacier and interacted with soldiers. He even intervened to provide snow scooters in Siachen.

HARBANS SINGH, Ambala Cantt

Mercy petitions

Instead of sitting on mercy petitions (editorial, “Worthy directive”, Sept 22) the government should take action on a priority basis. Among the petitioners are terrorists, the merchants of death, who deserve no mercy. Leniency towards guilty is akin to cruelty to the innocent people.

AJIT SINGH, Windsor, Canada

Protect women

What a “progressive” state Punjab is where (news report, “A rape every 24 hours in Punjab” by Chitleen K Sethi, Sept 22) at least one rape is reported daily and a woman is murdered every second day. Besides, at least one case of molestation and two women kidnappings are reported every 24 hours.

Perhaps, the Punjab government is neither willing nor capable of tackling the situation. The state must realise its responsibility and protect the fair sex.

Dr RUPAKSHI BAGGA, Hoshiarpur

Transfer of officers

In his article “Police officers as footballs” (Sept 23) S V Singh has dwelt more first on praising the Home Minister, Mr P Chidambaram, and then talking about his own postings during his service as an IPS officer. Ideally, officers should not be transferred at the whim and fancy of politicians. However, it must be remembered that IPS and IAS officers in India live like lords during their service and even after retirement.

SANJEEV, Amritsar

Tackling AIDS The news of a new AIDS vaccine is undoubtedly heartening. However, it would be imprudent to imagine that an experimental vaccine is going to solve the AIDS crisis. In fact, only a limited success has been claimed. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is a type of “retrovirus” which by its very nature changes its own genetic structure through frequent mutations. Despite spending a huge amount of money for HIV research a suitable vaccine against AIDS has remained elusive until now. But the media always likes to hype up stories for creating a buzz in the public. Most HIV researchers agree that an effective vaccine against AIDS is still many years away.   The massive spread of HIV and AIDS in India has been truly alarming. The Indian government must understand that a vaccine against HIV will not be able to cure AIDS. A preventive vaccine will have no use for people who are already infected with HIV. While a fully protective vaccine against AIDS is probably still a distant dream, promotion of better awareness in society and provision of highly effective antiretroviral medication for the HIV-infected individuals can go a long way in tackling the menace of AIDS in India. Dr KUNAL SAHA, Ohio, USA