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

Teachers sans pay

Aided school teachers of Ludhiana have not been paid salaries for three months. A majority of the grant-in-aid files for 2014-15 submitted by schools have not been cleared. The schools submit the files to the DEO, Ludhiana, from where these are forwarded to the DPI (Secondary). Despite orders by the court, the state government has not released the 95 per cent aid to the schools.

The government should look into their plight. Without salaries, how can they run their homes? The CM, Parkash Singh Badal, should issue directions to the departments concerned to take concrete steps to release the salary regularly by the seventh of each month.

Davinder Rehan, via email

Pay disparity

Ad hoc assistant professors working in aided private colleges in Haryana are being paid a meagre salary of Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 per month whereas the ad hoc assistant professors in government colleges and universities draw Rs 21,600 per month. The assistant professors working on regular posts get the starting salary of about Rs 45,000 per month.

The workload and qualifications of all these assistant professors getting different pays are the same. It is unjust to make a highly qualified assistant professor to work for pay which is less than the amount paid to an illiterate and unskilled worker. A labourer is paid the minimum wages of Rs 7,500 per month.

Moreover, the ad hoc assistant professors in private colleges are employed only for eight months (August to March) in a year. Thus, their average pay per month comes to Rs 7,000. In private colleges, more than 70% of the teaching staff are working on an ad hoc basis.

This harassment and mental agony to the highly learned teachers should be rectified immediately.

HR Mittal, Karnal

Smell of nepostism

Apropos the edit “Friends and family: Haryana appointment devoid of merit” (July 26), it is true that some appointments in the Haryana State Information Commission smell of nepotism. The Haryana Government's claim that due procedures were followed is far from the truth.

Corruption is eating into our vitals. Be it Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh or any other state, corrupt elements are devouring our governing system. As long as the political leaders, directly or vicariously, acquiesce, everybody down the hierarchy will continue to spread this disease of corruption and sap out the national vitality of integrity and truthfulness

Tek Chand, Abada Barana (Una)

Dog bites

Cases of dog bite are on the rise even as the population of stray dogs is increasing. No municipal corporation in Punjab is taking any step to control this menace. It is difficult to move out in the dark, especially for children and old people. There are instances of children and calves having been killed by stray dogs. The authorities should do the needful. Or, these dogs should be stocked in dog sheds built in ministers’ bungalows.

Hardip S Bhengura, Gurdaspur

Passenger safety

A mechanism to check bus accidents in Himachal Pradesh is needed. The state has a tough terrain, which leaves no room for complacency in the matter. The accidents have left hundreds of people dead and more maimed and traumatised. The main reasons for the mishaps are bad roads, mechanical snarls and overloading. But hardly any efforts are taken to plug the lacunae. The Himachal Road Transport and Public Works Departments must pull up their socks to ensure safe travel. Passenger safety must be the priority of the departments concerned.

Dr Himender Bali, Sandhu (Shimla)

Accidents in HP

Apropos the news item “HRTC workshops at God’s mercy” (July 31), the Himachal Road Transport Corporation has a large fleet of buses, both old and new. But three accidents taking place in one region on the same day speaks of its plight of working and poor upkeep. Provision of standard spares, enough technical staffers in HRTC workshops is essential for the good health of the transport system and it would ensure the safety and security of passengers. Though the topography of the state is hilly and the terrain is prone to accidents, the frequency of mishaps can be minimised if the government prunes the top heavy staff and strengthens properly trained technical staff.

Dr KDLakhanpal, Bilaspur

Sportspersons ignored

The Commonwealth Games ended in Glasgow, Scotland, with great fanfare. India earned the fifth position in medal with a tally of 56 (14-G, 25-S, 17-B), which is unsatisfactory. The standard of all sports is declining due to wrong policies of our successive governments. I have been attached with sports for the last 52 years. I remember when Punjab was the leading state in the international sports arena. Today, the situation is quite otherwise. Haryana earned 19 medals, including five golds whereas Punjab earned only nine medals, including five golds. The fault lies with our sports authorities and governments. Not with the sportspersons.

There is no dearth of talent in our country. But alas! The sports persons are not valued. Cricket is on the top of the agenda of every government. Cricketers are given big awards and honours while the same is not done in the case of other sportspersons. Some time back, Punjab was a major part of the international sports squad and medal winners. Haryana has announced Rs 1 crore award for gold medallists, Rs 50 lakh for silver and Rs 25 lakh for bronze medal winners. In comparison, the Punjab Government award is meagre and discouraging to sportspersons. No wonder, they want to migrate to other states.

Bansi Ram Rahul, Garhshankar

Follow Haryana

The players of Haryana fared very well in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. They won 22 medals, the maximum among all states. These include five gold, 14 silver and three bronze medals. Its ‘Padak lao, pad pao’ slogan worked and enthused the players. All participants were rewarded Rs 5 lakh each. In comparison, Punjab players won only one gold medal. Punjab should follow the Haryana pattern to promote sports.

Er SK Mittal, Panchkula