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PSPCL’s poor management skills

The power crisis in Punjab is the result of the poor management of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). I would like to ask the PSPCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director KD Chaudhri about the hollow and void claims made by him earlier in the year stating that there would be no power cuts in Punjab this summer.

Not only this, you even said that, "if at all the power supply is disrupted it will be because of load factor or a technical snag but certainly not because of power cuts" .You also said that there is no fear of scant monsoon and people in Punjab don't have to worry at all as PSPCL will meet all requirements this year, which showed your over-confidence everywhere.

Certainly there are some faults in the policies and management od PSPCL. We, the people of Punjab are not only facing long power cuts of about 8- 10 hours daily but have also been forced to pay 12% more power tariff. Where is the sense of justice, Mr Chaudhri? On one hand you make promises which are never fulfilled and to add to the misery, you ask people to pay more for a service that is not provided.

A 24-hour uninterrupted power supply is being enjoyed by Badals, you and few other beneficiaries. It is a still a distant dream for the common man.

GURPREET S. MALHOTRA, Kansal (Mohali)

NISHA, Panchkula

Educate men

I agree with Kuldip Nayyar's views in the article "Implications of Taliban-type diktats" (July 26) that the Indian civil society has become complacent as is clearly indicated by its inactivity.

This situation reminds me of a quote "Gharib ke pass takat nahin, aam aadmi ke pass time nahin, aur aamir ko zarurat nahin" (Poor has no power, middle class has no time and the affluent does not need).

Its very shameful how we are deviating from the real issue by restricting the freedom of women. Instead of giving advice to women on their conduct, advice must be given to a man on how to conduct himself in society and how to deal with women.

We are proud of women like Sunita Williams, Kalpana Chawla, Indira Gandhi etc. because they played a crucial role in the development of the country and set examples that woman is now at par with man in every field.

Restricting women from wearing jeans, keeping cell phones or engaging in love marriage etc. typically asserts male dominance of khaps. This needs to end now.

KSHITIJ GUPTA, Narwana (Haryana)

Follow safety rules

We in India do not have a culture of risk assessment and prior training. And that costs our society a lot in terms of life and property.

In Sydney, where I live, the back door of low floor buses is only used to alight from a bus. The passengers are not allowed to get in from the back door. Normally, commuters follow this rule as they are well aware that some unlucky passenger can escape the driver's eye in the mirror and get hurt or killed.

In India, I was surprised to see people boarding the buses from the back door. The driver should not move the bus if back door malfunctions or doesn't close.

ARUNESH SETH, Sydney

BCCI not bigger than cricket It came as a rude shock to millions of cricket lovers like me, especially living in rural areas, when the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka was not telecast live on DD I. Doordarshan is one channel which is within the reach of every Indian, irrespective of a large number of channels beeming 24x7 on television sets. Because the BCCI gets a handsome amount of money for giving the telecast rights, cricket lovers are deprived of watching their national team play against other teams. The Centre must direct BCCI to telecast the matches on DD also. BCCI cannot be bigger than the sport and the sport will enjoy widespread acceptance and interest if it reaches out to the poorest of the poor. The Sports Minister has a point when he says that BCCI should be brought under the control of the Central government. VIRENDER SHARMA, Hamirpur