The culture of mud-slinging, false accusations and character assassination has become so hackneyed that no one takes it seriously. Now every section of voters considers it a worthless drama that politicians play to appease the vulnerable.

The other lesson of consonance in views and words is equally important. This will save the party from issuing frequent clarifications on the utterances of the likes of Digvijaya Singh and Beni Prasad Verma. Besides, one more affliction needs to be addressed and that is sycophancy.

L R SHARMA, Sundernagar

Maximum City

Dr Rajesh Gill has well depicted the issue of urbanisation with its positive and negative sides in her article 'Maximum City…' (July 26). Whereas some, particularly youngsters, are opting for urban lifestyle due to strong pleasurable urges generated by the market forces largely through the media, a big chunk of population is pouring in cities due to the compulsion of survival.

It is a fact that traditionally, India has been a rural society engaging its vast population in the agricultural sector. Now due to the inability of this sector to subsume the fast-increasing population in it coupled with other perceptible changes in society due to a variety of factors, people are moving to cities. Many scholars have theorised that urbanisation is a 'sign of development' of any society provided this process is smooth and planned one. In contrast to India and other south Asian countries, developed nations have a negligible proportion of the population in the countryside.

DR SUKHDEV SINGH, Ludhiana

I-T return woes

This has reference to the news item 'Now, file I-T return till August 5' (Business page). On 30th July, I could not submit my e-return as the IT return software was not picking up the exact amount of TDS as given in Form 26AS. Even after many trials, it was giving some other figure as a result of which all subsequent calculations appearing were incorrect.

In the format of e-return, there is no clear instruction/provision for showing the loss in house property (such as interest paid on house loan) as is stated in the hardcopy of the IT return form. It needs to be investigated whether the errors were due to the 'unprecedented surge' in the number of IT returns being filed electronically as was stated in your news item or the defective software. The software should have been adequately tried and tested before its launch at the national level.

JAGDISH LALL, Shimla

Harmful toys

It is shocking that we see a nationwide glut of Chinese toys, which are toxic and harmful for children. What is painful is that how and why the Indian government has allowed such poisonous toys to enter our country. It is doubtful whether the government earns even a single penny as revenue in the shape of tax levied on these toys. On the other hand, our domestic toy-manufacturing companies and shopkeepers are too greedy that they sell toys at exorbitant prices to their own countrymen. Does it not amount to an open loot to charge Rs 150-200 for a toy costing them only Rs 50-70?

INDERJEET SINGH, Patiala