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Time to lighten
Pawar’s burden
One cannot help but agree to the views expressed in the editorial
“Overweight Pawar: Help him to the door”(July 7) that Minister of Agriculture, Food and Civil Supplies Sharad Pawar must be shown the door, given his inefficient handling of the Ministry and his and his family’s alleged association with unsavoury controversies. His ill-thought policies have sent the prices even of essential food items into stratosphere. His family members allegedly benefited from the IPL
skulduggery. Mr Pawar is seen more in the BCCI parleys and the cricket matches than in meetings with his officers discussing the issues and problems concerning his ministry. His remarks regarding the skyrocketing prices of sugar speak volumes of his apathy and insensitivity towards the common man. What seems to matter to him the most are the financial interests of the sugar barons and his political friends. He treats the ministry as his fiefdom and tries to run it as he pleases. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh now must turn Mr Pawar’s request to lighten his ministerial work load into a God-sent opportunity to tell him diplomatically and tactfully to resign from his ministry in order to devote full time for his professed party work and his new post of the president of the International Cricket Council. If Mr Pawar agrees, his departure from the Cabinet will be good riddance for the government and the people. HEMA, Langeri, Hoshiarpur |
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Visit to Scotland What a shame that instead of going to Delhi to press the Centre for compensation for the flood damage in the state, estimated at Rs 480 crore, a team of Punjab MLAs has left for Scotland to study the process of Scotch making (editorial, “Irresponsible outing: Punjab MLAs off to Scotland”, July 13). Is this governance? The editorial rightly points out that with what face the Punjab government will ask the Centre for help to cope with the fury of floods that has caused havoc in the state with wide-spread destruction of life and property and paddy fields. More shameful is that even tainted politicians have been included in the “foreign trip”. Certainly, the Punjab politicians are notorious for their extravagant ways at state expense. Such an attitude of the representatives of the people needs to be condemned in much harsher terms. What is embarrassing is that the Punjab Speaker Nirmal Singh
Kalhon, who has been charge-sheeted by the CBI, is leading the Vidhan Sabha Committee delegation. The Auditor General of Punjab should raise objection to this wasteful expenditure by the Government of Punjab and demand action against all the guilty politicians. Such an irresponsible act of the government cannot be tolerated by the people of Punjab. R K KAPOOR, Chandigarh II
The editorial rightly condemns the untimely foreign jaunt of the Punjab politicians. It in fact paints, again rightly so, the overall irresponsible governance of an insensitive Akali-BJP government. BALVINDER, Chandigarh
III
The visit of MLAs to Scotland epitomises the greed and corruption that has set in the successive governments in Punjab. Here is a case where both the Opposition and ruling parties, have joined hands to loot the common man. The free jaunt comes at a time when the people of Punjab are hit by floods. It is ironic that after listening to the complaints of contamination of drinking water with industrial alcohol in certain areas of Punjab, the MLAs seized the opportunity to tour Scotland to “study” how to control contamination while brewing scotch. On return, they should be held accountable for every dime they have spent from the public exchequer. PRADEEP R, Delhi
Don’t waste water
The editorial “Going down the drain” (July 2) was thought-provoking. It reminded me of an old proverb : “You never miss the water till the well runs dry”. It is true that lot of water is wasted and polluted everyday in every nook of the country. However, if natural gifts like water are not saved then future generations will pay a heavy price for our apathy. It is also shocking to know that many villages and small towns do not have an access to clean drinking water because of which many lives are in danger. For instance, in Amritsar residents of Majitha Road are compelled to drink contaminated water infested with insects and earthworms. People try to filter it with dupattas, which is not a right solution. Similar is the case in many towns. This is mainly because municipalities are irresponsible and lack basic resources. Industries too, create lot of water pollution but unfortunately the government has not taken any strict steps against them. The need of the hour is to conserve water. Awareness also needs to be created at all levels. Penalties for water wastage and contamination must be introduced. RAMESHINDER SINGH
SANDHU,
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