‘Unfunded’ promises

The announcement by a minister and top brass of the Municipal Corporation to develop world-class urban infrastructure in the city sounds like music to the ears, but only if it is turned into reality. Flyovers, railway overbridges (ROBs) and railway underbridges (RUBs) have been on the blue prints for several years, but not even a brick has been laid in most of the projects. Main and feeder roads across the city lie in a state of dispair and poor maintenance, mostly due to severe resource crunch with the MC, which does not even have adequate funds to pay salaries to its employees. The ministers and elected representatives, including the city Mayor, would do well to make promises only if they could also declare the source of funds for the mega projects. Making ‘unfunded’ political promises will not do any good.

What is pushing third gender to beggary?

With gaudy clothes and loud makeup, third genders go from one car to another begging for alms — a common sight at every road crossing in Ludhiana. The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2014, proposes an end to discrimination and seeks to provide them with right to equality as guaranteed in Article 15. A thought that transpires every day is ‘What is pushing them to beggary?’

Contributed by: Kuldip Bhatia and Naina Mishra