SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI


THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

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

Kashmir finds lost glory in cinema  

The return of a film crew to shoot in the Kashmir Valley is a positive sign (Editorial Bollywood returns”, August 31). After a gap of two decades, it will again bring us closer to Kashmir. The presence of top Bollywood names in the Valley will send a signal to the common man that militancy is ebbing in the trouble-torn state. Ace movie maker Yash Chopra has once again taken the lead in establishing his romantic films on Kashmiri soil. Let us hope we see more screen space being given to the Valley in songs again shot at the beautiful Dal Lake and in the lush green ambience all around the Valley.

HARPREET SANDHU, Ludhiana

End the impasse

Around 80 per cent of the economists and India Inc leaders felt that after moving to the Finance Ministry last month, PC Chidambaram did show a lot of personal initiative and facilitated a number of measures.  He sent a loud and clear signal that the government meant business and would not go for witch-hunting through the retrospective tax laws.

Unfortunately, all these measures are being drowned in the political noise over CAG. The stubborn stand taken by some parties, including those in the UPA, on issues like FDI in retail, aviation and reforms of the pensions sectors etc, is pushing the economic agenda back. The country would again be going into the election mode in the next few months as Assembly polls are due in several states. Moreover, it is only in the next few months that the Central Government can work on repairing the fiscal position by disciplining expenditure and avoiding untargeted subsidies.

S C DHALL, Zirakpur





II

Earlier, the political leaders happened to give top priority to the cause of the nation irrespective of their personal grudges or party plank. The welfare of the nation was the topmost priority but the current scenario of politics is diametrically opposed to the past practice. Our founding fathers perhaps had never foreseen that the coming generations would create such odd situations in Parliament and therefore, did not envisage specific provisions to deal with them in such eventualities, like frequent disruption of Parliament.

Therefore, in national interest either the government or the political leaders inevitably must take initiatives to evolve a mechanism to end the impasse.

HARI CHAND SHANKER, Ambala Cantt

Resource management

There are four methods of allocation of scarce natural resources — first-comefirst-serve (FCFS) method, screening committee method, tendering process method and competitive bidding (auction). The first two methods are totally and unquestionably arbitrary advocated by the proponents of crony capitalism while the other two methods must be preferred to benefit the public exchequer. Time has come to invariably adopt the policy of competitive bidding for allotment of scarce natural resources for commercial purposes. The natural resources should be used through public sector undertakings including the sale to private business houses or persons.

Dr PREM SINGH DAHIYA, Rohtak

Who will take blame?

The not-so-social act of the media and the police in Jalandhar has allegedly forced a young college girl to commit suicide when she was clicked by photo scribes in front of the cops despite her repeated pleas not to do so. Her only fault (if it is considered one) was that she was travelling with her boyfriend. Cops led by a woman inspector stopped the vehicle and told her and the boy to come out in full media glare as if both of them were criminals. The poor girl seems to have taken this drastic step to save herself and her family from humiliation. Yet some newspapers carried her pictures. Who will take the responsibility for her death — the police or the media?

RAJESH CHANDER BALI, Jalandhar

II

The Jalandhar girl ended her life owing to three reasons — the callousness of the police, the recklessness of photojournalists and hypocrisy of society whose definition of morality centres on girl-boy relationship. We tend to don the role of reformers and moralists even if we ourselves are every inch immoral. We have no respect for others privacy.

Moral policing going into overdrive to impose the feudal mindset of a patriarchal social order on the liberal young having voiceless status and the overzealous media, all joined hands in driving her to suicide. As Dushyant said, “Is sirey se us sirey tak sabh sharikey jurm hain.” (All culprits should be brought to book).

For its own credibility, the media must have a self-regulatory code, lest Oscar Wilde should prove correct, “In old days men had the rack, now they have the press”.

JASWANT SINGH GANDAM, Phagwara





Breaking the rules

People are seen sticking mobile phones to their ears brazenly while at the wheel, caring two hoots about the inconvenience awaiting them and others (Vikrant Parmar’s middle “What a blessing!”). People at large have become self-indulgent, selfish, self-centred and narrow-minded. In fact, we Indians take delight in framing rules but we take more delight in breaking them with impunity. Many a time, they result in fatal accidents and misadventure.

Mobile phones must be acclaimed for their usefulness, but their misuse or overuse can make you lose your life.

TARSEM S BUMRAH, Batala

 

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