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Give exemplary punishment to rapists
I appreciate the views expressed in the editorial, “Compensation for rape?: The move compromises women’s dignity”
(June 30). The government’s decision to offer financial assistance between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh to a rape victim is unjustified. Surely, if this is made the practice, all rapists will be let off the hook! Moreover, some unscrupulous elements will take undue advantage of this “restorative justice” system. False rape cases will be registered and “compensation” sought. This will not solve the issue of sexual assaults on women. The best way, certainly, is to allow fast-track courts to handle all rape cases, and the culprits of such heinous crimes should be punished severely. Justice should be quick in rape cases. It is true that the honour lost by the victim cannot be returned at any cost. The best compensation will be to give exemplary punishment to the perpetrators. R K KAPOOR, Chandigarh
II This refers to the news item, “Compensation for rape victims from Aug 1” (June 29). The Centre’s decision to launch a scheme to compensate rape victims from August 1 through financial assistance as well as support services is a step in the right direction. In India, a woman is raped every 25 minutes and the country stands third, leaving behind countries like Sri Lanka, Jordan and Argentina when it comes to rape cases. Recent years have witnessed an alarming rise in the number of rape cases in India. This necessitates a debate on the changing value system in India. While we boast of moving towards becoming a developed nation, socially we are becoming callous and irresponsible. Late night parties, dating clubs, fashion shows and beauty contests have increased in the past 10 years. Satellite and cable TV channels have grown and are almost uncensored by any organized authority. Also, this decade has witnessed an increase in pornographic stuff. There is, therefore, a need to focus on our prevailing education system, which is bereft of moral values. HARISH K MONGA, Ferozepur
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Indifferent teachers This refers to the article, “The menace of absenteeism” (June 21) by Rama Kashyap. The article is timely and appropriate. Teaching as a profession has, failed to ignite the dormant talent of students. In the past, teachers used to set examples. Now, those who fail to get employment elsewhere take to teaching as a last resort. Such teachers have no inclination to inspire their students, as they themselves lack inspiration. They ignore the problems of the students who also get disillusioned with time. Unless quality of teaching improves, there is not much hope of winning back the students, and absenteeism will continue to haunt our institutions. HARPREET SINGH, Ambala Libyan crisis The editorial, “Gaddafi’s poll offer: There’s no harm in trying it” (June 28), has rightly emphasised the need to revive Libya. Colonel Gaddafi might have offered the new formula to buy some more time, but the international community should ask for a time frame for holding elections. Gaddafi has been spreading a sense of insecurity among his countrymen, and using the danger of western powers as a pretext to extend his hold over the oil-rich nation. History repeats itself, and Gaddafi, it seems, will also face an ignominious exit, as did Saddam. No Arab country came to support Hosni Mubarak when his ouster was designed by the US. SANDEEPAN VERMA, Panchkula Shed populist policies The editorial, “Heavy taxes on oil: Good governance can cut costs” (June 29), has rightly cautioned the Centre against taking an easy route of increasing taxes to augment its resources. It rightly says that the Centre should concentrate on devising ways to discover, identify and implement means by which the resources can be boosted. Every government, either at the Centre or in the states, will have to shed its populist policies to appease the voters by doling out subsidies for uplifting the social status of the downtrodden. No government has been able to achieve this objective by such populist policies. The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing day by day. Oil is an essential commodity without which no activity is conceivable in modern times. Oil prices have an impact on the prices of other commodities. Therefore, any rise in oil prices leads to inflationary pressures on other commodities hitting the common man hard. Some states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are facing financial crunch from which they have not been able to come out. These states have failed to devise new means of enhancing their resources. In western countries, despite the rise in prices of crude oil, the price of oil is tolerable. AJAY K JINDAL, Ludhiana Conserve city’s parks Chandigarh is known for its parks and green belts. The parks are, however, not being properly maintained, particularly in the southern sectors. Wherever outsourcing has been done for their maintenance, things are looking better. Nevertheless, the parks and green belts are not supposed to be used for parking vehicles. Heavy penalty should be imposed on those who use parks for parking their vehicles. At the same time, provisions should be made for alternative parking areas so that vehicle owners are not put to inconvenience. G R KALRA, Chandigarh
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