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

Falak, a victim of battered baby syndrome

The recent news of a two-year-old girl, Falak, admitted in hospital with severe injuries after being beaten, battered and abandoned was really heart rending. It has brought to light the much-neglected Battered Baby Syndrome (BBS). This disorder is yet to gain recognition in India.

Battered Baby syndrome is found at every level of society, although the incidence may be higher in low-income households where adult care-givers suffer financial problems, stress, frustration and social difficulties, without having had the benefit of higher education. Alcohol abuse can also be one of the reasons.

This dastardly act can be done by parents or baby-sitters in a fit of anger. It results in abnormal growth of the child or even death. Counselling is the best way to prevent such incidents from happening.

Parents who employ baby-sitters for their children should keep a strict check on their activities or even take help of gadgets like cameras to avoid any untoward incident. Also, neighbours should remain vigilant and immediately complain to the police whenever they suspect any abnormal, suspicious or irrational behaviour by parents. The importance of early detection of this condition and multi-disciplinary approach needs to be stressed upon.

VINEET KAPOOR, Panchkula

Spectrum allocation

Indicting the Telecom Minister singly excluding all others, knowing well that he is just a cog in the wheel is not reasonable. The judgment is shortsighted on many aspects. The existing telecom operators should have been allowed to operate till their stipulated agreements expire. The other way out was to give a reasonable period of five years to wind up, as the livelihood of millions of employees and associates is at stake.

If calling for new tenders, the bidders who qualify and get the new licences to operate should be given instructions to retain and honour the existing telephone numbers given to the consumers with commitments as given by the earlier telecom operators.

The calling of new tenders in fact will be a waste of time and public money. Can’t we see how the prices of commodities have inflated over the months?

The government as a whole has to take the responsibility as no single central minister can dare to act till there is a go-ahead signal from the top, this being the norm in Indian politics and business one-upmanship a norm the world over. Can you make one a sacrificial lamb for the acts of a collective group? We need to act in a positive, corrective, growth mode and close this chapter once for all.

AMARJIT SINGH, via e-mail

II

This refers to the editorial ‘Quashing 2G allocations’ (February 3). The Supreme Court verdict in scrapping the 2G Spectrum allocation proves that there was something seriously wrong in the matter. Instead of filling government coffers by auctioning the 2G spectrum, A Raja very cunningly allocated the same through the NDA-introduced system of 'first come, first serve’ policy only to line his own pocket.

People who successfully throw dust in the eyes of their masters are cheats. And A Raja, the then union telecom minister, did exactly the same thing with an honest and unsuspecting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Since the responsibility of every action taken by any minister lies with the Prime Minister, he should personally supervise all ventures undertaken by his government and do not have ‘blind faith’ on any of his subordinates. It is here the prime minister made a mistake and tarnished his own image. He should keep his eyes wide open and be more careful.

R K KAPOOR, Chandigarh